WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Death of Doctor Strange: Blade #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
In the wake of the gruesome murder of the Sorcerer Supreme, all manner of mystic and interdimensional threat has flooded into the Marvel Universe. As bad as the situation might be, there are still plenty of capable heroes who know how to deal with the things that go bump in the night, and Blade is right there at the top of that list. As it turns out, the Daywalker is also busy with his new role as peacekeeper of the Vampire Nation. Not only has this put Blade largely on the sidelines, it has also turned the most iconic scene from his big screen debut into a complete joke.
Things begin with the bustling streets of Pripyat where the creatures of the night are reveling in the Sorcerer Supreme's untimely demise, all while their sheriff spends the evening brooding on the clock. Taking up the role of lawman in the Vampire Nation has put the Daywalker right in the vampires' midst, yet unable to strike them down without proper cause. Even worse is the fact that keeping the peace means following the vampire crowds where trouble might be brewing, and there is nowhere better for that than a classic late '90s sprinkler party.
Where the Daywalker finds himself in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange: Blade #1 by Danny Lore, Dylan Burnett, Mike Spicer, and VC's Travis Lanham is exactly where he was in Wesley Snipes' first outing as the titular character in 1998's Blade. The film opened with a now iconic scene in which an unwitting victim was lured into a nightclub filled with the undead, only to discover what was happening when the overhead sprinklers began raining human blood. Thankfully the Blade of the silver screen arrived just in time to save the man, cutting down dozens of assailants in what still stands out as one of the most epic displays of horror Marvel has ever dedicated to film. Unfortunately, the Blade of the comics has no choice but to sit back and watch as the vampires celebrate his friend's murder.
Even when approached by vampires cosplaying as Doctor Strange to make a mockery of his death, even when those same vampires taunt him about it all, there is nothing for Blade to do except wait for one of them to make the wrong move. Keeping watch over the Vampire Nation might put him in prime slaying territory, but without provocation, Blade has been effectively defanged. That doesn't mean he is no longer keeping a stake in hand just in case, but it is a precarious position for the Daywalker, considering the potential consequences of him breaking his oath. Dracula might think of him as hired help, but that doesn't mean an attack wouldn't be enough of an excuse for the Vampire Nation to strike back outside their borders. It isn't a good look for Blade as far as the vampire public is concerned, though that still hasn't stopped him from keeping them in check.
Thankfully, there is still the occasional bloodsucker who oversteps their bounds, giving Blade reason to turn them to dust with full authority. It isn't a night out like he is used to, but thinning the herd when given the chance at least ensures Blade's reputation isn't being done any real harm, especially not when he has the blessing of Dracula himself.
And even if playing nice with ghouls doesn't feel good, at least he can rest assured knowing he is still the life (and death) of every party in the Vampire Nation.