Avengers' New Hero 'Bloodline' Can Finally Link Blade to the Eternals
Warning! Spoilers for the post-credits scene of Eternals ahead.
Marvel Comics has teased the introduction of a new hero: Bloodline in the Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men one-shot. While the only thing known for sure is the character's name, there are a few clues that point in the direction that this new hero could have ties with both the Eternals and Marvel's trademark vampire hunter, Blade.
In the 1970s, Marvel Comics delved deep into horror stories, thanks to the revision of the infamous Comics Code Authority rules. Previously forbidden characters, such as vampires and werewolves, started appearing in comic books, and Marvel debuted both the lord of the undead Dracula, as well as his sworn enemy, Blade the vampire hunter. The character became more popular in the 1990s thanks to a trilogy of movies, but Blade was never a smash hit in the comic book world. His first solo series appeared in 1994, the last one was canceled in 2007, and an attempted relaunch in 2015, set to introduce Blade's teenage daughter, was canned due to fan criticism of the choice of a white writer. However, Blade was once again featured prominently in Marvel comics thanks to Jason Aaron's choice to include him in his Avengers team and in the "Vampire Nation" storyline.
This Avengers connection is what could tie Blade to Marvel's new hero Bloodline, besides the obvious reference to every vampire's favorite drink. In the announcement for the Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men one-shot, by Kieron Gillen and Dustin Weaver, Marvel revealed that Bloodline will make their debut in an introduction story by writer Danny Lore and artist Karen Darboe. That book, however, will also serve as an introduction to the upcoming Judgment Day storyline, which will feature an all-out war between the X-Men and the Eternals, with the Avengers caught in the middle. The Eternals connection is further reinforced by the fact that Blade made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (albeit only as a voice) in the post-credit scene of the Eternals movie. While this could be just a coincidence, it is likely that Marvel Comics would want to capitalize on the casting of two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali as Blade to revitalize the character.
What does this mean for Bloodline? Marvel has focused a lot on the past of its universe recently, with Jason Aaron's Avengers, in particular, exploring the legacy of some key characters throughout the ages, going back to prehistoric time. The Eternals are also quintessentially legacy characters, having witnessed the evolution of mankind since their creation by the Celestials millennia ago. Vampires have a long history in the Marvel Universe too, going back to the day of pre-cataclysmic Atlantis when the sorcerer Varnae was transformed into the first vampire through the power of the Darkhold. The Eternals are now waging war on mutants because they consider them to be part of the Deviants, the "impure" race that they are supposed to protect humanity from. It could be that, in their newfound urge to save mankind, the Eternals will want to exterminate vampires too, as the newly-founded Vampire Nation (inspired by the mutant nation of Krakoa), can be seen as a rising threat.
This is still just a theory, however. While it is likely that Marvel will want to relaunch Blade in some way, there is no guarantee that this will happen soon, or that either the Eternals or the new hero Bloodline will figure in the picture. To learn more, readers will have to pick up the Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men, coming out in May.