Eric Brooks

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Blade made his first appearance as a supporting character in The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973), written by Marv Wolfman with art by Gene Colan. Originally, he was not a 'daywalker' but a human immune to being turned into a vampire, using teakwood knives and wearing red/green clothing. Prior to the film's development, Wolfman and Colan revamped him in 1991 with a dark leather jacket and short hair. The 1998 film updated this look into a body-length coat and added sunglasses, while also changing his origin to make him a dhampir bitten by Morbius. This change was subsequently integrated back into the comics in 1999. A variation of the storyline was introduced by John Semper in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in 1995, ahead of the first film.

In Their Own Story

In early 1992, Marvel Studios began developing a film with LL Cool J interested in the lead role before it moved to New Line Cinema. Writer David S. Goyer pitched a serious trilogy 'almost Wagnerian in scope' to director Ernest Dickerson, aiming for a 'post-modernist vampire film' that treated vampires as serious villains rather than romantic figures like in Anne Rice's works. Although New Line initially wanted white actors for Blade and his mentor Jamal Afari (later redeveloped as Abraham Whistler), Goyer rejected this, leading to the casting of Wesley Snipes over Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne. Snipes signed on in 1996, releasing the film in 1998. He reprised the role in Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), though production on the latter was difficult due to conflicts with Goyer. In 2024, Snipes returned as the character in Deadpool & Wolverine, incorporating his iteration into the MCU through the multiverse.

Reader's Guide

To understand this specific iteration of Eric Brooks, note that he is defined by Wesley Snipes' performance and the specific continuity of the New Line films. In Blade: The Series (2006), the role was taken over by Sticky Fingaz, who aimed to incorporate Snipes' direction while adding his own 'seasoning.' While Mahershala Ali was announced in 2019 for an MCU reboot, he dropped out of the role in 2026. Attempts to crossover with the Underworld film series in 2015 failed due to Marvel's plans for the character. Snipes' portrayal earned him a Guinness World Record in 2024. The character's visual identity shifted from the comic's original short afro and teakwood knives to the iconic trench coat, sunglasses, and dhampir powers established in the films.

Did You Know?

• Wesley Snipes holds the Guinness World Record for the 'longest career as a live action Marvel character' (2024) due to his reprisal in Deadpool & Wolverine.
• David S. Goyer pitched the Blade films as the 'Star Wars of black vampire films,' aiming to demystify vampires and treat them as serious villains.
• New Line Cinema originally requested that both Blade and his mentor be cast as white, a request writer David S. Goyer rejected.
• The character was originally human and immune to vampirism in the comics, only becoming a dhampir after the 1998 film influenced the source material in 1999.
• In Blade: Trinity, Wesley Snipes allegedly referred to co-star Ryan Reynolds as a 'cracker' on one or more occasions during production.