WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Darkhold: Blade #1, available now from Marvel.
The Marvel Universe has been host to all manner of frightful figures over the years, and no one knows that better than Blade. And after Blade and several other heroes were transformed by the arcane secrets of the Darkhold, Marvel introduced the scariest Blade in the multiverse, one where an apocalyptic event has transformed most of the world's population into vampires. As revealed at the start of the comic, the force behind this extinction-level event was La Magra, the blood god.
While that ancient demon may have menaced Wesley Snipes' Blade over two decades on the big screen, Darkhold: Blade #1 by Daniel Kibblesmith, Federico Sabbatini, Rico Renzi, and VC's Clayton Cowles officially brings La Magra to the comic book Marvel Multiverse for the first time.
Deacon Frost, the vampire who inadvertently led to the Daywalker's own creation, was Blade's greatest nemesis for decades in the primary Marvel Universe and Blade's 1998 film. Though the main Marvel Universe's version of their rivalry ended for Deacon with a stake to the heart, the Deacon of the Darkhold's reality essentially attempted to carry out his plan from 1998's Blade. In the film, Frost (portrayed by Stephen Dorff) goes through an ancient ritual that transforms him into the unliving host of La Magra, a powerful vampire blood god. While Blade ultimately defeated Frost and foiled his plans in the film, things took a dramatically different turn here.
As a vampiric Amadeus Cho explains, the summoning of La Magra transformed Deacon Frost and nearly every sentient being on the planet in this world. In an instant, every living human, mutant, Inhuman and Eternal found themselves powerless or transformed into a creature of the night. La Magra was obviously a force to be reckoned with on the silver screen, even showcasing the ability to turn humans into vampires with merely a thought, but this event shows just how powerful the blood god really was.
To make matters worse, the aftermath of La Magra's rise sees vampires effectively rule while Blade keeps them in line. This vampiric reign hasn't just changed Blade's world, though, as it has even turned Marvel's premier vampire hunter into something darker than ever before. From the looks of things, Blade isn't holding back anymore regardless of his victim's vampiric status, making him just as much of a lethal threat to humans as his usual targets. Blade acts with a nearly unchecked bloodlust, attacking humans, vampires and heroes alike. This made Cho wonder if Blade himself hasn't become La Magra's latest host. While that doesn't look like the case, Blade still acts the part by becoming the greatest monster in a world that's full of them.
The past few years have seen the vampires of the primary Marvel Universe rise to prominence like never before. Dracula and his Vampire Nation have played a major role in several recent events, from terrorizing Wolverine to taking an active role during Knull's symbiote invasion of Earth. This coupled with Blade's own ascent alongside the Avengers points towards the vampiric corner of the Marvel Universe becoming far more important to the wider Marvel Universe than it ever has before. If La Magra can make the jump from Blade to the Darkhold universe, there is no reason to think they can't join the primary Marvel timeline as well. And considering what the blood god unleashed in this timeline, the stakes couldn't be higher.