This article contains spoilers for Blade: Vampire Nation #1, on sale by Marvel Comics.
Throughout the years, Eric Brooks, better known to fans as Blade, has been on many adventures, slaying vampires and protecting the world from creatures of the night. He’s joined many superhero teams, including the Avengers and the Midnight Suns. Now, he is the sheriff of Dracula’s vampiric nation.
While he has a popular trilogy of movies to his name, he has yet to make an official appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His film isn’t set to debut until September 2024, however, with the recent publication of Blade: Vampire Nation #1 (by Mark Russell, Dave Wachter, Dee Cunniffe, and VC's Cory Petit), perhaps inspiration from this comic could be drawn and used to create another Blade movie set in the MCU.
How Blade: Vampire Nation Opens Doors For the MCU
After the events of 2020’s King in Black, the U.N. and the Avengers allowed Dracula to set his Vampire Nation in Chernobyl under one condition -- Blade would be the sheriff. This was to ensure that the vampires followed proper protocols and to monitor their activities. At the beginning of the story, one of Dracula’s council members is assassinated. However, there is more to it than that. Dracula was the intended target, not council member, Chancellor Corvis. Blade is then entrusted to find the people who ordered the hit, and bring them to the monstrous leader.
One of the many things that make this comic interesting is the relationship the vampires have with the humans. The panels depict the two somewhat coexisting, which could help introduce them to the MCU. Vampires give humans jobs to do during the day, offer to turn them into vampires to maintain the population, and help them adjust with special programs. There are even some humans who are allowed to live rent-free in the nation in exchange for their lives down the road. The latter of these prospects could pose some problems in the future, which could create conflicts to perfectly set up other potential Blade films.
Another interesting thing to note is the fact that the Vampire Nation was also approved by the Avengers themselves. The parameters of this agreement could be subject to change if this comic were to be adapted for the big screen. Fans are well aware that the MCU has changed many events such as Civil War and the Infinity Saga to fit the stories that were being told, so the same could be done for other materials. This could be something that happens before or after the Avengers disbanded.
Blade Could Face Dracula in the MCU
Additionally, the comic contains various characters such as the mercenary Delfina, Contessa, and even Dracula himself. The latter of these has yet to make an MCU appearance, and given his immortality, could be introduced at any time. Within the length of a movie, writers could approach this film as if it were a murder mystery, adding in a bit of action and risk to amp up the stakes.
Blade has hunted vampires in the past, but now he acts as an enforcer for peace between humans and the vampires. It would be interesting to see Blade portrayed this way while still somewhat staying true to his origins. Blade: Vampire Nation leaves filmmakers with countless opportunities. Perhaps in future works, topics like Dracula’s secret council or Blade’s daughter could be explored.