History Comicbook / Blade

* NintiesAntiHero: Blade was always uptight, ruthless and demeaning on the hunt, but in the 1970s he genuninely empathized with the people minding their own business, whose lives were intruded upon by vampires. His loss of emphathy, abuse of his protectorates and all around unpleasantness came in the 1980s, but since this was the 80s, this shiftt in attitude and behavior was considered a bad thing. Blade was still an example during the 1990s, but he was less manic than he was in the 80s while also being less sociophathic and more selfaware than most other 90s antiheroes. Still, he's retained the general 90s appearance and attitude well into the following millennium.

* NotSoSimilar: He gets compared to Wolverine, both being really old guys who look younger than they are, and Luke Cage, thanks to his relationship with Hannibal King (to Luke's with Iron-Fist), but he doesn't have much in common with either of them. Blade himself thought he was just like The Punisher but found out he was mistaken when he finally met him.

** With Monica Rambeau, any time they've worked together after a team-up against vampires in a post-Katrina New Orleans. On that same campaign he butted heads with Luke Cage but Brother Voodoo was indifferent to and Black Panther was amused by Blade's abrasive personality.

* AndThenWhat: Blade gets a job and performs as a trumpeter on the side when all the vampires are killed in the comics. He asks this question to other people who don't seem to have an obtainable goal or just haven't thought of what they'll do when they're done.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: When he first encounters Spider-Man his introduction is summed up as "vampires are real, hero, get over it" before anything else meaningful is said, suggesting he's run into this trope a lot. He was a blood drinker himself but Morbius initially did not believe in supernatural vampires.

* BedTrick: Cilla does this to Blade, then tries to eat him, because that's what Tryks do. They usually mate with other members of the colony who willingly become meals for their queen, Blade didn't even want to have sex before he knew he was being tricked and Cilla fled when she realized she bit off more than she could chew.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: After getting his new vampire powers Blade is kidnapped by the Silver Eye division of S.H.I.E.L.D. who do use mind control in an attempt to turn him into a weapon for them.

* DisappearedDad: Lucas Cross claims to be Blade's father, as he was Tara Brook's lover. Given what her profession is though, there is a good chance he isn't. His excuse for not being around is being locked up in Latveria for a crime he did not commit.

** Dracula's daughter Lilith wants to kill her dad more than Blade does, as killing Dracula will also lead to her death. As detached from people as Blade is, Lilith is even more so, to the point he has to interfere with plans since she really doesn't care about the consequences beyond the end goal.

* HumanityIsInfectious: The reason that Blade doesn't try to keep vampires from getting the Sun Walker Formula and the reason why most vampires would rather risk burning to death or use more complicated alternatives. Lucas's plan is to give all vampires their humanity back.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Gets his name from the badass Japanese sword he uses to kill the undead.

** Varnae to vampires, at least those of Dracula's line. As Blade mellows out he doesn't hold a personal grudge against him anymore, he'll still kill him on sight of course.

* NotSoSimilar: He gets compared to Wolverine, both being really old guys who look younger than they are, and Luke Cage, thanks to his relationship with Hannibal King (to Luke's with Iron-Fist), but he doesn't have much in common with either of them. Blade himself thought he was just like the Punisher but found out he was mistaken when he finally met him.

* PsychicPowers: Some people get them when they become vampires. Eric Guy psychically tormented the wife of a vampire hunter into getting blood for him while he slept, giving Blade extra motivation to track him down. Freak was used by Silver Eye to help them brainwash their operatives. When Blade destroyed Jared Amundson in Midnight Son Unlimited, he temporarily sent Blade's mind into the past as a parting shot.

* SoleSurvivor: Blade is the only one to survive in a few groups, Orji Jone's vampire hunters in particular. In the original telling Blade survived when Dracula killed everyone else because of his immunity to vampire bites but this may or may not have been retconned as Dracula leaving him alive for a future favor.

* SuperStrength: On the lower end of the scale but still there. He can lift about one ton at his peak [[AllThereInTheManual according to Marvel's official handbook and website]]. This is really {{depending on the writer}} though as some feats of his are well above that (Pulling the reaper out from underground and hoisting above his head so it could not avoid the rising sun) while at other times suggest it is even lower than that (such as when he had to trick S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into shooting at him to break a pair of handcuffs).
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: With Monica Rambeau, any time they've worked together after a team-up against vampires in a post-Katrina New Orleans.

* TheAssimilator: Blade was once absorbed into the body of one of Frost's creations when he tried to kill it. Daimon Hellstrom manages to exorcize him from it then kill it properly.

* TheMusketeer: He's got UV grenades and cutting boomerangs too nowadays but the sword and gun are currently his most used weapons.
* TheNoseKnows: Of his super senses, his sense of smell is the most notable as that's how his ability to detect supernatural activity manifests.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[AvertedTrope Not so]], when he develops an obsessive hatred and detachment from the world in general over Dracula's inability to stay dead Blade is committed to receive treatment. He's let out early by Dr. Strange but it does lead to him mellowing out a little.
* TimeDissonance: When T'challa was in possession of the Black Knight's Ebony Blade, our hero Blade asks him to give it to him in his will. Luke Cage tries to explain to him why that's rude but he doesn't care. Also, anyone who claims Blade can't kill all the vampires will be intimately corrected, he really doesn't care how long it takes.

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: When Rotwrap of Hydra's D.O.A. sends a swarm of stinging insects at Blade he quickly cuts them to pieces with two knives but laments that he really had nothing against those bugs and that he was sorry for them. He had no problem cutting Rotwrap herself to pieces though, Pyre had to save her before he could do too much damage. When 'god' Frost covers him in a swarm of insects he doesn't even attack them, stating worse things have bitten him.
* WreckedWeapon: Blade's blades tend not to be as durable as he is as seen in his battle with Plokta, or in the case of his battle with the Taker Of Heads, can't repair themselves after being broken like he can. After a sword gets broken by Spitfire he is seen with an Adamantium weapon.

* AdaptationalNationality: Every incarnation of Blade outside of the comics is African-American as opposed to Black British in the original comics. This has even happened with the comics themselves with his nationality being changed to match up with the Creator/WesleySnipes movies.

* CostumeCopycat: Patriot, a super-soldier Mikado and Mosha brainwashed into believing he was Blade, they were trying to free the real thing from Silver Eye at the time and thought they were simply undoing "Blade's" reprogramming.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: Apparently most vampires cannot, since after the success of sun walker serium Henry Sage said he would not be able to stop killing people until Blade "[[SuicideByCop did what he needed to do]]".

* IneptMage: Blades attempts to use magic usually go wrong, the word sword being one of his few if only success stories. One case involved a spell that was supposed to give a vampire its soul back but instead returned vampires he killed back to life. To be fair he was tricked by Lucas Cross, who also thought it would work.

** Blade was human who was immune to vampire bites. However, he was bitten by Morbius (a scientifically-created vampire) and [[RetCanon got turned into a vampire similar to his movie counterpart]]. He was mostly involved with the {{Dracula}}-descended type of vampire so it's not too outlandish for his immunity not to cover [[FantasyKitchenSink every other vampire type in Marvel.]]

* NamesTheSame: Blade's a Midnight Son character so it bears mentioning that Lilith Daughter of Dracula is distinct from Lilith Mother Of Demons. The latter being much more powerful and evil than the former.

** Lilith, Mother Of Demons, was rumored to be a goddess who degenerated into a demon herself due to spawning so many.

** The demogorge was the {{Elder God|s}} responsible for killing off or chasing away all the others because they had become corrupt. Blade starts to become a second demogorge when he takes a page out of the Dark Hold and set out to kill everything related to magic in the Marvel Universe. The ComicBook/MidnightSons are eventually able to reverse this and they had too since the Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance, would have been his first victim. The demogorge was ''that'' powerful.

* TheKleptomaniac: Jamal encourages Blade to loot the vampires he fights, as many VampiresAreRich.

* BodySurf:Blade had to hunt down a body surfing criminal named Yoosef while S.H.I.E.L.D. had forced him into the Vanguard program.

* HeroicBastard: as in born out of wedlock, but plenty think he's the other kind of bastard too, due to being somewhat detached.

* {{RetCanon}}: Blade originally had an immunity to vampire bites and hypnosis, but was otherwise a BadassNormal. After the first movie gave him superhuman strength, speed, agility, a HealingFactor, and heightened senses, Blade gained these powers in the comics thanks to a bite from Morbius.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Stacy Dolan always refers to Blade as "Wesley", even when he threatens her with bodily harm for it.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blade_94.jpg]]

Blade made regular appearances again during the "Midnight Sons" story arc in the 1990s, which led to the character being featured on the then running [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries Spider-Man cartoon]], which gave Blade new powers. ''That'' led to a mildly successful [[Film/BladeTrilogy trilogy of movies]] based off the cartoon, best known for building enough confidence for Marvel to launch films of better named properties like ''Film/XMen1'' and ''Film/SpiderMan1.'' Attempts to reproduce that success for Blade in the comics failed but the adaptations did permanently change how the character would be used.

* ''Midnight Sons''

** The demogorge was the {{Elder God|s}} responsible for killing off or chasing away all the others because they had become corrupt. Blade starts to become a second demogorge when he takes a page out of the Dark Hold and set out to kill everything related to magic in the Marvel Universe. The Midnight Sons are eventually able to reverse this and they had too since the Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance, would have been his first victim. The demogorge was ''that'' powerful.
* PowerCopying: In the Midnight Sons [[BatFamilyCrossover crossover]] ''Midnight Massacre'', Blade in his obsessive quest against all occult reads a certain page from [[TomeOfEldritchLore Darkhold]] and turns into Switchblade the Demogorge, a being who obtains powers of anyone he kills. [[spoiler:[[HoistByHisOwnPetard This power proves to be his undoing]] when kills Comicbook/GhostRider, and feels the power of his Penance Stare as he obtains it, buying enough time for Prof. Hastings of the Darkhold Redeemers to fix things up]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blade2.jpg]]

* AGodAmI: Deacon Frost (or rather a clone), uses magic to become something he claims to be greater than a vampire but his new powers weren't anything Blade couldn't handle and he's only saved by the fact that Blade is more concerned with Bible John's safety at the moment. Frost's later [[FoodChainOfEvil eaten by the real thing]] in his second attempt for more power.

* EvilVersusEvil: Cyclops's reasoning in bringing back Dracula is that he won't approve of the current vampire lord Xarus and will make dealing with him easier. Blade is clearly not a fan of this, especially since he's seen it play out before with Dr. Sun.

* FullFrontalAssault: Blade's been forced to do this twice. Once after fist getting his powers and once again in his Max series when a group of vampires busts in on him as he's [[SleepsInTheNude sleeping in the nude]].

%%* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

* MonsterProgenitor: Varne to vampires, at least those of Dracula's line. As Blade mellows out he doesn't hold a personal grudge against him anymore, he'll still kill him on sight of course.

* PhysicalGod: The demogorge was the {{Elder God|s}} responsible for killing off or chasing away all the others because they had become corrupt. Blade starts to become a second demogorge when he takes a page out of the Dark Hold and set out to kill everything related to magic in the Marvel Universe. The Midnight Sons are eventually able to reverse this and they had too since the Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance, would have been his first victim. The demogorge was ''that'' powerful.
* PowerCopying: In the Midnight Sons [[BatFamilyCrossover crossover]] ''Midnight Massacre'', Blade in his obsessive quest against all occult reads a certain page from [[TomeOfEldritchLore Darkhold]] and turns into Switchblade the Demogorge, a being who obtains powers of anyone he kills. [[spoiler:[[HoistByHisOwnPetard This power proves to be his undoing]] when kills Comicbook/GhostRider, and feels the power of his Penance Stare as he obtains it, buying enoug time for Prof. Hastings of the Darkhold Redeemers to fix things up]].

* ScaryBlackMan: In the comic, Blade's Mentor, Jamal, was a Jazz musician from Harlem (a far cry from Whistler), which is why someone from Britain like Blade would use American slang, that and the gang he joined was made up of New Yorkers. Orji Jones's and his vampire hunters were a group of them, especially Ogun Strong, who was big and strong enough to restrain Dracula! Also, the vampires Steppin' Razor and Night Terror count.

* StoutStrength: Varne is not the ideal picture of fitness but is stronger and faster than Dracula unless he is artificially powered up by something. Steppin' Razor too, if not to the same degree.

* SunglassesAtNight: Both Blade and Night Terror are known for it, Blade does because of light sensitivity and Night Terror for probably the same reason, as he didn't even go through the "not full vampire" stage.

* TranshumanTreachery: Not the case for the most part, feeding on humans just comes naturally to vampires. Because of this, the sunwalker formula which can give them resistance to sunlight, is not very popular among them because it also brings back their sense of humanity and brings the severe HorrorHunger that comes from eating your own kind alive and not being able to stop yourself. Using it drove Henry Sage to {{Suicide By| Cop}}Blade in Marvel team-up #7.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: When he first encounters Spider-Man his introduction is summed up as "vampires are real, hero, get over it" before any thing else meaningful is said, suggesting he's run into this trope a lot. He was a blood drinker himself but Morbius initially did not believe in supernatural vampires.

* BadassNormal: Initially Blade had no powers and survived with his skills, before being bitten by Morbius.
** EmpoweredBadassNormal: After the bite.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: In a very reasonable case, almost every appearance by Blade since the movie has him looking like his live action portrayer Creator/WesleySnipes.
* CostumeCopycat: Patriot, a super soldier Mikado and Mosha brainwashed into believing he was Blade, they were trying to free the real thing from Silver Eye at the time and thought they were simply undoing "Blade's" reprogramming.

* DetectEvil: Blade has the ability to sense supernatural beings around him. A vampires hiding in a crowd? He can find it. A spirit possessing a body? He can sense it's presence right away.

* {{Dhampyr}}: Started as tainted by a vampire but not actually turned, was thought in fact to be impossible to turn but now Blade is a full fledged vampire.

* FoodChainOfEvil: There are many types of vampires and "Tryks" use other "species" to reproduce. Naturally a colony targets Blade at one point and mostly regrets it.
* FullFrontalAssault: Blade's been forced to do this twice. Once after fist getting his powers and once again in his Max series.

* HealingFactor: Not as good as it could be, as he doesn't drink much blood Blade has to will himself to heal and manually kick starting it is very painful. He teaches Spitfire how to.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

* WeaponOfChoice: Two teakwood daggers were his preferred vampire killing weapons in the beginning, as he was impressed by Orji Jones, who used them as his weapon of choice before him. Blade didn't limit himself to them though, also carrying things like crossbows. While working with the Nightstalkers, Frank Drake gets him some more dangerous weaponry and his arsenal continued to expand with S.H.I.E.L.D. and when he met the twins Mikado and Mosha.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Puns aside in Captain Britain and the [=MI13=], he claims to sharpen his stakes to ''nanopoints'' to pierce light armor.

* ImprobableWeaponUser: While he teamed with Captain Britain and MI 13 he cut up a spell book he found and made a papier-mâché sword out of it.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Puns aside in Captain Britain and the MI13, he claimscto sharpen his stakes to ''nanopoints'' to pierce light armor.