Blade (New Line franchise character)

Blade
New Line Cinema's Blade trilogy and
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade: Trinity (2004)
First appearanceBlade (1998)
Last appearanceDeadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Based on
Blade
by
Adapted by
Portrayed by
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameEric Cross Brooks
SpeciesDhampir
Title
  • The Daywalker
  • The Chosen One (Blade)
  • The King of the Vampires
OccupationVampire hunter
Affiliation
Family
  • Abraham Whistler (surrogate father)
  • Vanessa Brooks (biological mother)
  • Robert Brooks[1] (biological father)
NationalityAmerican

Eric Cross Brooks is a superhero primarily portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the New Line Cinema Blade franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Blade. Brooks is depicted as a dhampir with superhuman abilities after his mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him. Brooks is trained as a vampire hunter by Abraham Whistler and dedicates himself to protecting humanity. A variation of the film's storyline was integrated into Spider-Man: The Animated Series by John Semper in 1995 ahead of the first Blade (1998) film, and Blade's redesigned costume and powers were integrated into comics in 1999.[2][3] Snipes reprised his role in two further sequel films, Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), as well as in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which incorporated his iteration of the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise through the multiverse. The character also appeared in Blade: The Series (2006), portrayed by Sticky Fingaz.

Snipes' portrayal of the character received significant critical praise, described as the "quintessential black superhero [before] Black Panther",[4][5] with the first film starring him receiving a cult following and beginning Marvel's film success, setting the stage for further comic book film adaptations.[6][7] Snipes' portrayal of the character won him the Guinness World Record for "longest career as a live action Marvel character" in 2024 with his reprisal of the role in Deadpool & Wolverine.[8][9]

In 2015, New Line Cinema producers were in talks to have Snipes reprise the role in a crossover with the Underworld film series, but ultimately the concept never came to fruition.[10] In 2019, Mahershala Ali was announced to be cast as Blade in a planned reboot for the MCU.

  1. ^ "Delivery". Blade: The Series. Season 1. Episode 7. August 2, 2006. Spike TV.
  2. ^ Gambit (1999) #4. Marvel Comics.
  3. ^ Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999) #8. Marvel Comics.
  4. ^ Lichtenfeld, Eric (2007). Action SpeaksLouder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action. Wesleyan University Press. p. 289. ISBN 978-0-8195-6801-4.
  5. ^ Caffier, Justin (August 25, 2018). "Twenty Years Later, Wesley Snipes Says He's Still the Only Guy Who Could Play Blade". Vice. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "An unsung hero: How Blade helped save the comic-book movie". Blastr.com. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  7. ^ Frazier, Daniel (January 14, 2014). "5 Lessons Blade Taught Studios About Superhero Movies (They Have Clearly Forgotten)". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  8. ^ "Longest career as a live action Marvel character". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (August 2, 2024). "Wesley Snipes Broke A Big Marvel Record With Blade's Deadpool & Wolverine Return". SlashFilm.
  10. ^ Petty, Michael (February 9, 2024). "Why the Underworld/Blade Crossover Never Happened". collider.com. Collider. Retrieved July 29, 2024.