In a week there will be Halloween and what better time to talk about the action/horror par excellence Blade? The founder of the Marvel movies as we know them is the perfect example which show us that martial artists really are superheroes.
The editorial and cinematic birth
The character of Blade was born as supporting character for the Marvel comic book “The Tomb of Dracula” in 1973. The charisma and the storyline of this vampire slayer was so original that in the following years he became protagonist of short special stories of dark Marvel’s characters like Morbius and Ghost Rider. Finally, Blade debuted in his own comic series “Blade the Vampire Hunter” in 1994, followed by a few dedicated issues in later years.
Thanks to the increasing interest about comics, the film Blade launched in 1998. The movie was a completely success and most of the credits went to the actor who portrayed the protagonist Blade, Wesley Snipes. The actor should have incarnated Black Panther, but the movie did not get into production, so he signed to play the vampire slayer. Wesley Snipes is also a talented martial artist: he is a master of Shotokan Karate and Hapkido, trained also in capoeira, kung fu, kickboxing and Brazilian jujitsu. His fighting skills were the key to give more authenticity and fame to the character, becoming a cult very soon.
Blade
The story of Blade is a story of vengeance, born as dhampir (half human and half vampire), he is called by the night creatures the “Daywalker”, inheriting all the strength of the vampires and only one of their weaknesses, the thirst of blood. In order to vengeance his mother, killed by a vampire before give him birth, Eric Brooks train himself to become the ultimate vampire hunter known as Blade, eradicating the vampire breed from earth forever. The first movie follows his journey to defeat Deacon Frost, the vampire responsible of the dead of Blade’s mother. The role of Deacon Frost was offered to Jet Li, but he opted to do Lethal Weapon 4 instead, giving the possibility to Stephen Dorff to take over as the evil character.
Blade II
In the second adaptation of the comics, the only two character from the previous film that return to play their respective roles are Wesley Snipes (Blade) and Kris Kristofferson (Abraham Whistler, Blade’s mentor and weaponsmith). All the rest of the cast is new, introducing famous actors like: Ron Perlman, Luke Goss and even Donnie Yen. The story follows once again the crusade of Blade, this time against a new breed of vampires called Reaper virus. The movie released in 2002 was a box office success ensuring a third transposition.
Blade Trinity
The third and last chapter of Blade, was released in 2004, casting one last time Snipes and Kristofferson in their respective role of Blade and Whistler. For his final mission, the “Daywalker” has to defeat the king of the vampires, Dracula himself, portrayed by the actor Dominic Purcell. Fortunately Blade will be helped by the “Nightstalkers”, a group of young vampire hunters, in which militate the daughter of Whistler, Abigail (played by Jessica Biel), and the peculiar ex vampire Hannibal King (portrayed by Ryan Reynolds).
An Immortal Legend
The movie trilogy was a success overall, but rights problem with Marvel Studios slighted the release of a fourth movie for many years. In the meanwhile, it was established the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and characters like The Fantastic Four, the X-men and Blade set aside in favour of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. In 2019, Marvel Studios announce the reboot of Blade, entering in the MCU, but casting Mahershala Ali as the “Daywalker”.
Wesley Snipes as Blade remains one of the most famous vampire hunters ever existed. So, the perfect movie to watch if you want to spend your Halloween with some fights is of course the action/horror par excellence Blade.
Happy Halloween/Happy Hunt