Blade (Marvel Film Universe)

Teaser poster

***Blade*** is a neo-noir action horror film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is a reboot of the *Blade film series* and is the debut entry in the Marvel Film Universe. Directed by M. J. Bassett, the film stars Cory Dietrich in the title role, alongside Wesley Snipes, Simone Missick, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Doherty, David Boreanaz, and Mia McKenna-Bruce. In the film, Blade is hired by mysterious woman to protect a teen mother from a vampiric stalker but discovers a sinister plot by a pureblood vampire named Ulysses Sojurner.

By May 2013, Marvel Studios had a working script for a new Blade film after regaining the rights following New Line Cinema's prior film series. Due to Marvel's ambivalence about adapting the darker, more mature characters of the Marvel Universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe which allowed New Line (along with several other studios) to negotiate producing films surrounding these characters in a shared universe adjacent to the MCU. Bassett was selected to direct the films after the producers saw her work on *Solomon Kane* (2009). Production on the film began in August 2013 with filming taking place primarily in New Orleans and NewGround Studios in Los Angeles. The film drew influence from its predecessors by utilizing martial arts choreography.

*Blade* was released on October 24, 2014 to positive reviews from critics praising Dietrich's performance as the title character, action sequences, visual effects, and cinematography. The film grossed $327 million worldwide against its budget of $80 million and has since come to be regarded as one of the best action films of all time. Its success also established the *Marvel Film Universe* and its sequel, *Blade: Undead by Dawn*, was released on June 15, 2018.

## Plot

In 1997, Blade awakens in a destroyed building, badly wounded. After he retrieves his teakwood katana from the charred skeletal remains of Deacon Frost, he somberly looks upon the corpse of his friend Jericho Drumm, who died while attempting to help him kill the vampire who murdered his mother and made him a dhampir. Placing his katana in its scabbard, he promises not to leave Jericho's body and picks him up before departing the building. While exiting, Blade notices an old man sitting amongst the rubble, fiddling with a saxophone, who tells him that he did the right thing. Blade hesitates for a moment upon the old man but continues on, silently carrying his friend's body outside.

A year later in New Orleans, Aldes Yancey makes out with a young model named Deborah in the backseat of his limo, en route to his manor. The two continue to wrestle in the backseat as the limo begins riding over the uneven ground of the bayou. The slight turbulence alarms Deborah but Yancey reassures her that everything is alright. Meanwhile, Blade traverses the bayou's river with a motorboat, seemingly following the limousine. Arriving at Yancey's manor, he and Deborah are ushered out of the limo by its driver. Upon the home's dirty and dilapidated appearance, Deborah is disgusted and demands to leave but Yancey aggressively handles, forcibly ushering her into the house while promising his driver "a piece". Deborah's screams draws Blade's attention as he arrives at the home, climbing the support beams before killing the driver by throwing his onto a broken tree stump, impaling him and revealing he was actually a vampire. Infiltrating the manor, Blade discovers a den of vampires and ghouls being offered Deborah as a meal by Yancey but Blade intervenes, unsheathing his teakwood katana. Engaging the vampires, Blade furiously slashes through them while trying to defend Deborah, utilizing much of his arsenal including silver stakes, glaives, and his machine pistol loaded with silver bullets. After killing most of the vampires, Blade confronts Yancey who he brutally kills via crude decapitation before impaling his heart, allowing him to rescue Deborah. Traumatized by her experience within the manor, she attempts to understand who Blade is and what happened but he consoles instead, vowing to take her back to "civilization". Blade sets fire to the manor before he and Deborah escape on the bayou with his motorboat. Elsewhere at a creole restaurant called the Jaded Palate, manager Dominique Levant carefully checks the inventory in the kitchen's freezer before one of the cooks informs that the Desiree family has arrived. Dominique darts out of the kitchen to greet them, graciously welcoming her friend Zinnea, her husband Newton, and teenage daughter Charisma. Happy to see each other, Dominique converses with the family, inquiring as to how they are doing but causes an awkward silence when asking where Charisma's baby is. Zinnea sheepishly tells Dominique that they found a last minute babysitter as the restaurant's owner Xavier Rath comes out to greet them. Gleefully ushering them to their table, he reminds Newton not to worry about the bull which visibly upsets the latter. As the family are seated, Xavier pulls Dominique to the side to express his concern about the baby not being present for a family dinner. At the table, Newton remarks that Xavier is treating them like a charity case but Zinnea reminds that after having to pay a sitter, the discount will help them. Newton then directs his anger at Charisma, prompting Zinnea to stop him from making a scene. Dominique and Xavier watch from the bar, both saddened by the family's current dissension. A short time later, the Desirees find levity over their dinner and for the first time since Charisma's pregnancy, they share a laugh. However, Charisma's joy is shattered when she spots a long-haired man with pale skin in a dark suit approaching the family's table. Dominique emerges from the kitchen upon hearing a commotion and seeing some of the other patrons leaving the restaurant. Xavier joins, emerging from his office, and the two along with the cooks and waiters watch as Newton aggressively dismisses the pale man, who leaves hastily but not before passing a glance at both Charisma and Dominique. Dominique looks at Charisma, who looks visibly frightened and Xavier remarks that she looks as if life left her body. Dominique asks him what he means and he jokes that it's "an wives' tale" from his mother's time, causing her to prod further. Xavier then divulges that his mother would say you could tell a vampire from a man due to the aura that surrounded them. In response, Dominique scoffs but once again glances at the departing Desirees, specifically Charisma. Suddenly, her pager beeps and Dominique's eyes widen. Racing to the New Orleans East Hospital, Dominique arrives and heads for the ER. There, she meets a doctor who informs her that her friend Deborah stumbled in bruised and delirious, positing that she was possibly drugged. He further explains that she was sedated and placed under observation, adding that they waiting for the blood work. Confused and alarmed, Dominique panics, believing the worst has happened to her but the doctor reassures her, ushering her into Deborah's room. Dominique curiously asks the doctor if Deborah said anything and he tells her "something about vampires" which petrifies her. Elsewhere in the 17th Ward, Blade returns to his apartment and upon entering, he places his katana atop a mantle where an old saxophone also rests. He takes a moment and stares upon it with a remorseful expression.

Inside of Los Angeles' Wilshire Grand Center, a sharply dressed middle aged man boards an elevator which descends despite being on the ground floor. The elevator opens to a torch-lit catacomb where the man is greeted by a hooded figured who leads him to a large chamber where several pale skinned vampires with demonic appearance sit atop large throne chairs situated in a circle with glyphs etched into the wall behind them, denoting their houses. The man addresses them as "the Pureblood Elders" and they, in turn, address him as Ulysses Sojurner, congratulating him for settling the affairs of the Vampire Nation within LA. The Dragonetti Elder tells Sojurner that it was him who told the House of Erebus not to move against Deacon Frost who turned himself into a vampire through mean of science and because Frost refused to become an ally of the Nation, they did not intervene when Blade killed him. The Faustinas Elder interjects, saying that they should've killed Blade after he eliminated instead of allowing him to continue his work in hope that he would eliminate their enemies within the house. Sojurner then asks the Elders why they are interested in Blade and they inform him that Deacon Frost's attack on Blade's mother made him a dhampir, adding that such a species threatens the Vampire Nation. The Dragonetti Elder tells Sojurner that Blade was responsible for the demise of his "student" Aldes Yancey which visibly shocks Sojurner. The Elders then tell him they thought it only right that he know which prompts Sojurner to surmise that they want him to take care of Blade, to which he happily agrees. Back in New Orleans, Blade practices kendo in his apartment while watching a television newscast detailing a grisly murder in the French Quarter, catching his attention. As he pauses swinging his katana, his eyes wander to the mantle where the saxophone rests and he cautiously approaches it, revealing that there is glasses case near it as well. The old man appears again, telling Blade that he doesn't want him feeling sorry for hisself because he taught him better. Petrified by despair, Blade somberly turns to the old man who echoes that he taught him better than that before seemingly disappearing. Blade then stares down at the various symbols etched into his teakwood katana as he tightly grips the hilt. That same morning, Dominique awakes after a night of being uncomfortably restricted to a chair beside her friend Deborah's hospital bed. Looking over, she notices Deborah is wide awake but before she can speak, Deborah tells her that the police are coming to talk to her today. Concerned, Dominique begins a tirade of questions, attempting to understand what happened to her best friend, who replies that Dominique would not believe her anyway. Dominique then attempts to console her friend, begging her to try to remember. In response, Deborah tells her that vampires are real and further explains, albeit poorly, what happened before telling her that the vampire's name was Yancey and that a man named Blade saved her. Shortly after, the police arrive and Dominique opts to speak to them instead due to Deborah's condition. She gives the police the name Yancey which causes them to hastily, exclaiming they've all they need which arouses Dominique's suspicion. Later that night, a concerned Dominique ventures to the Jaded Palate to confide in Xavier who has been a father figure to her. Initially, Xavier comforts Dominique and is playfully dismissive of his notion that vampires are real, apologizing for ever bringing it up. As Dominique begins to relent by arguing she is just coping because something happened to her best friend, she passively mentions Blade which change Xavier's entire attitude. He then attempts to deflect but Dominique recognizes that he knows something about Blade. She then plays it off but realizes she must investigate further so she concocts an excuse to leave, resolving to visit the Desiree family who she believes must know something about vampires. Dominique then ventures to the Desiree family house, which is a shotgun house, where pauses for a moment in her car; laughing to herself that she must be crazy. Her smile fades when she sees a silhouette in the bushes near the Desiree house and upon closer examination, she notices it's the pale stranger from the restaurant. She then returns to the hospital in a panic, asking Deborah to tell her everything that happened the night she was kidnapped. Meanwhile, Blade visits a voodoo parlor in the French Quarter owned by an ally who is revealed to be none other than Jericho Drumm. Blade is uncharacteristically happy to see his old friend who happily embraces him. Drumm then inquires as to how Blade has been holding up since the death of his mentor but the mention of this causes Blade to revert to a stoic state, coldly asking if he has "it". Seeing the despair of his friend, Drumm leads him to the back of the parlor where they find a large cabinet of herbs and glass ampoules with liquid. Without hesitation, Drumm tells Blade he can't keep fighting what he is and the latter replies that he "ain't like them". Drumm reminds him that he unfortunately is as he searches the cabinet. Pulling several herbs and ampoules from the cabinet, he places them in a sack and tells Blade that he misses him too while Blade coldly replies that "you came back, he didn't". As Blade attempts to depart, Drumm reveals that he knows Blade saw him that night and asks if he still sees him. Blade thanks Drumm and departs silently.

Later that evening at a mansion in the Garden District, Xavier Rath hosts a lavish dinner party with the large guest count filling his mansion. He sways through the mansion, socializing until the arrival of Ulysses Sojurner stops him dead in his tracks. Upon seeing him, Xavier pauses the festivities to welcome Sojurner, ordering his staff to bring the "refreshments". The kitchen staff then bring a dozen shackled human captives from the wine cellar into the dining room where they begin brutally slaughtering them, ripping their necks open with their teeth before spilling their blood into bowls and goblets, revealing that Xavier is actually a vampire. He welcomes Sojurner into his home but the latter is less than happy to see him, explaining that they've much to discuss. Retreating to Xavier's private office, Sojurner demands any knowledge of Blade, to which Xavier dismisses as a mere urban legend. Sojurner, in response, attacks Xavier, demanding to know how an urban legend murdered his son which causes Xavier to realize that Sojurner is there for the death of Yancey. He then tells Sojurner that Yancey left a human witness and now, there is a woman asking questions. Sojurner tells Xavier that by edict of the House of Erebus, he is laying claim to New Orleans and asks Xavier if he has this woman's scent. Elsewhere at the home of Dominique Lavant, she investigates a large amount of newspaper clippings with a large map, attempting triangulate Blade's location before accurately discovering it. With a slight hesitance, she sets out for the 17th Ward. In the 17th Ward, Blade sits in his apartment, producing a batch of serum to combat his bloodlust with the supplies given to him by Jericho Drumm until a knock at the door interrupts him. Defensively brandishing his katana, Blade opens the door to discover Dominique who apologizes for bothering him. She then explains that he saved her friend Deborah and Blade carefully ushers her inside, demanding to know what she wants. Dominique then reveals that she wants to hire Blade to protect Charisma from the vampire stalking her, prompting him to ask about protection for Deborah. Believing he is attempting to extort and that she is crazy for coming, Dominique attempts to leave but Blade stops her, sensing the presence of a vampire. The two are then attacked by one of Sojurner's thralls which Blade successfully kills after a brief fight, leading Dominique to question the functionality of his teakwood katana. Blade then inaccurately surmises that the vampires must want Charisma for something and decides to help Dominique. Shortly after, Blade and Dominique stakeout the Desiree house where they observe the pale stranger approaching. After he knocks on the door, the stranger is greeted by Newton Desiree who addresses the stranger as Morbius, telling him to stop coming by his house. Morbius confesses that he owes a debt to Charisma's birth mother and reveals he only wants to help but as the men argue, Charisma slips out with the baby in tow. After Newton threatens the police, Morbius flees and Blade decides to follow Charisma, ordering Dominique to stay behind. Charisma travels to the Mid-City district where she purchases heroin from a dealer who is initially hesitant to sell to her because of the baby but relents upon her insistence. As Charisma departs the alley, the dealer is attacked by Morbius, who begins draining his blood until Blade intervenes but the man dies anyway. Frightened, Charisma flees with her baby as Blade engages Morbius whom he mistakes for an average vampire. The two battle with Morbius unsuccessfully trying to convince Blade that he is a man until the police arrive, brandishing guns. Seeing Blade's katana, they open fire, hitting him several times in the arm, chest, and neck. Heavily wounded, Blade is forced to flee while Morbius escapes into the shadows, examining the blood from Blade's wounds that landed on him and deducing that he is a dhampir. The wounded Blade returns to Dominique, weakly urging her to "find Drumm". Back at the New Orleans East Hospital, Deborah and her nurse converse while she is getting checked until she receives a visitor, despite visiting hours being over. As Sojurner enters the room, Deborah fearfully tells the nurse she doesn't know him.

In a flashback, an 8 year-old Eric Brooks and his adoptive mother Felicity are walking down a dark London street where they an older gentleman being attacked by two vampires. Despite Felicity's protests, Eric attempts to intervene but the old man swiftly kills the vampires with wooden stakes hidden in his sleeves. He then introduces himself as Jamal Afari. Years later, Eric visits Jamal at a jazz club in New Orleans, admiring his saxophone and suave style, specifically his shades. After the performance, Eric meets up with Afari at the bar, jokingly remarking that he's never heard a vampire slayer play so well and Afari tells him what good is a cover if he can't commit to it. In the present, Blade awakens from his nightmares of the past in a cold sweat, with the thirst heavy on him. He finds himself in Drumm's parlor where the latter tells him New Orleans PD sacked his apartment, no doubt on the orders of the vampires controlling them. Drumm then asks if Blade dreamt of Afari but he dismisses and demands to know where Dominique is. Drumm tells Blade that she left to check on "the girl" before telling him that what happened Afari wasn't his fault. Blade then somberly tells Drumm that no matter how may vampires he kills, it doesn't make it better because his vendetta is the reason all his friends die. At the hospital, a distraught Dominique is interviewed by detective Cypher Walton who reveals that a nurse was brutally murdered and now Deborah is missing. Blade then infiltrates the hospital, pretending to be Dominique's boyfriend. Whisking her away to tell her that they can't trust the police before asking if anyone else knew about Deborah's kidnapping or Dominique's search for vampires. She tells Blade that Xavier knew and the two depart, with Detective Walton mistaking Blade's growing thirst for drug withdrawal. Blade and Dominique then travel to Jaded Palate to interrogate Xavier but due to the daylight, he is not in the restaurant and they discover a hidden dwelling beneath his office. Without his gear and weapons, Blade is forced to fight through Xavier's guards but he is ultimately successful as he and Dominique interrogate Xavier. Dominique is horrified to learn that Xavier is truly a vampire and after divulging that Ulysses Sojurner has taken over operations in New Orleans, he taunts Blade about his thirst, remarking he drink Dominique dry. Horrified, Dominique realizes Blade must be a vampire and flees in fear, prompting Blade to kill Xavier with his bare hands. Dominique then reaches out to Detective Walton to help her find Walton and the two decide to start with Xavier Rath's mansion. Meanwhile, Blade returns to Drumm's parlor to retrieve his gear and go after Dominique. Drumm wishes luck and after Blade departs, he makes a plea to the Loa to watch over Blade. By nightfall, Dominique leads Walton and several squads of New Orleans PD up to Xavier's mansion where they find Ulysses Sojurner and a large den of vampires. Walton then reveals to Dominique that he is a familiar, human minion of a vampire. Sojurner then orders Deborah, who is now a vampire, to capture Dominique. Shortly after, Blade arrives at the mansion and infiltrates it, fighting through vampires and other demonic creatures to find Dominque. He is drawn to the drawing where he finds Dominique being held captive before he is attacked by Sojurner, who proves to be a powerful pureblood vampire. Badly beating the weakened Blade, he berates him for killing his son, remarking that he wants Blade to give into his thirst so he can become the thing that he hates so much. The weakened Blade almost considers it while being furthered goaded by Deborah toward Dominique and when he prepares to bite her, he sees an image of Deacon Frost in his reflection before Afari appears to him, once again proclaiming that he taught him better. Blade then remembers how Deacon Frost turned Afari which forced Blade to kill him with the help of Drumm, prompting him to snap out of it. He kills the vampire Deborah and engages Sojurner, reminding him that vampires took his mother and his father. Becoming locked in a tense battle, Blade's katana is ultimately broken by Sojurner who gains the upper hand but Blade kills him by drinking his blood. After dispatching the vampires, Blade frees Dominique who is broken over the loss of Deborah. Blade offers to let her burn the mansion but she refuses, remarking that the world should know vampires exist, resolving to leave them proof in the form of Sojurner's charred skull. Some time later, Blade visits Afari's grave to bury his saxophone and glasses case but he finally removes the shades from the case and put them on. The Vampire Nation attempts to cover the photos and evidence from Xavier's mansion while Dominique decides to devote her life to eradicating vampires as well, resolving to New Orleans with Blade. Before departing New Orleans, Dominique visits the Desiree family one last time and has a heart-to-heart with Charisma, whose parents decide to get her help for her addiction. Meanwhile, Blade confronts Morbius, who is still stalking the family. He warns Morbius to leave the Desirees alone and he seemingly acquiesces but taunts Blade for being the same monster he claims to hate. Blade then tells Morbius that he has no problem killing him but Morbius believes he can't because he isn't a traditional vampire, berating Blade for his teakwood katana. Blade then brandishes a brand new silver katana before seemingly engaging Morbius (*it is heavily implied that Blade kills him*).

In a post-credits scene, the Dragonetti Elder awakes in a cold sweat where he see a pair of green snake-lie eyes watching him.

## Cast

* Corey Dietrich as Eric Brooks/Blade
* Wesley Snipes as Jamal Afari
* Simone Missick as Dominique Levant
* Mads Mikkelsen as Ulysses Sojurner
* T. C. Carson as Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo
* Julie Benz as Deborah Violin
* Thomas Doherty as Aldes Yancey
* David Boreanaz as Xavier Rath
* Alexis Denisof as Cypher Walton
* Mark Boone Junior as Newton Desiree
* Fiona Shaw as Zinnea Desiree
* Mia McKenna-Bruce as Charisma Desiree
* Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Felicity (cameo)
* Mark Hamill as Dragonetti Elder (voice)
* Helen McCory as Faustinas Elder (voice)