Blade (birth name: Eric Cross Brooks;[2][3] legal name: Frank Blade[1][a]) is a fictional character and antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973) as a supporting character, but he later went on to star in his own storylines. Devoting his life to ridding the world of all vampires, Blade utilizes his unique physiology to become the perfect vampire hunter. A mixed race (White-Black) British man,[6][7] he is proficient in weaponry ranging from firearms to swords, and a master of martial arts.[8] While originally depicted as a human immune to vampire bites, Blade was retroactively established to be a dhampir following his adaptation as such in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Blade film series.[4] He is the father of Brielle "Bri" Brooks (Bloodline). The character has been substantially adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including films, television series, video games, and his own animated series. Blade was portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the films Blade (1998), Blade II (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and by Sticky Fingaz in the television series Blade: The Series (2006). Mahershala Ali has been cast as the character in the MCU media franchise, debuting with an uncredited vocal cameo in the film Eternals (2021) ahead of the character's upcoming standalone film.[9][10]