Vampire (Blade)
Encyclopedia
In Marvel Comics
' Blade
universe
, Vampires (Homines Nocturnae) are a sub-offshoot of humanity descended from Drake (also known as Dracula
or Dagon
), a Sumer
ian who was worshipped as a god
. His progeny are known as "Pure-Bloods", while those beings who are bitten by Drake or his descendants are merely byproducts of vampirism.
This genealogy is the background to the Blade
comics, the movies Blade
, Blade II
, and Blade: Trinity
; and the Blade
TV series.
The series is named for its hero, a vampire-killer named Blade.
and popular culture, but also differs in certain details. A significant difference between Blade vampires and the folkloric depiction of vampires is the definition of vampirism as a biological condition and not just a supernatural affliction. Blade vampires are not affected by religious symbols such as crucifixes and holy water. Other attributes traditionally associated with the folkloric description of vampirism such as turning into mist or a bat, or living hermit-like lives, are not depicted in the Blade universe. Blade vampires are intricately involved in modern human society and live high-tech lives. The Blade vampire races also possess their own language
, which all vampires speak. A majority of all vampires also speak human languages.
In the Blade universe, vampirism is a virus
transmitted through the vampire's saliva during a neck bite, made by the vampire's fangs when feeding, or by dying with vampire blood in one's system or after being bitten. It takes approximately 72 hours after infection for the virus to effect a mutation in the victim to become a vampire, considered here as a new life form. This life form's blood cells cannot produce haemoglobin and so must feed on human blood. The diet of humans is edible to vampires, but provides little to no nutritional value. This need for human blood is known as "The Thirst".
This mutation endows the vampire with an improved metabolism
and other biological functions that grant numerous improved or even superhuman
capabilities. These are made possible via new specialized organ
s created during the mutation process.
Such physical capabilities include:
Vampires in Blade universe belong to different Tribes. Dependent on their Tribe, vampires will additionally possess specific strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Reapers are able to scale almost any surface like spiders, or even standing perpendicular to the wall (as seen in Blade II). Additionaly a Reaper's only weakness is exposure to sunlight or ultra-violet rays which can result in spontaneous combustion or turning into ash. This process is known by fans as 'ashing'.
The pure blood or non-pure blood status of a vampire also affects their social standing and physical abilities. In later versions, new strains such as the 'Reaper' strain also affect the vampires' abilities.
storyline, Dracula's son Xarus overthrows him by killing him and unites all of the Vampire Sects under him. These sects include the Claw Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire warriors), the Charniputra Sect Vampires, the Mystikos Sect Vampires (a clan of business vampires), the Nosferatu Sect Vampires, the Krieger Sect Vampires, the Atlantean
Sect Vampires, the Moksha Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seers), and the Siren Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seductresses). Xarus' allies in the Mystikos Sect managed to invent a special device which can block the frequencies of light that are harmful to Vampires. Xarus decided to use this device to create a new, more dominant place in the world for vampires as he has each device handed out to his vampire allies. Upon attacking the fortress of the Krieger Sect Vampires, Xarus' allies eliminate the clan's elder leadership. He has the Claw Sect not declare itself for him, so it can hang back and be contacted by any would-be traitors seeking an alliance like his brother Janus Tepes
and the peaceful Anchorite Sect. Following an attempted betrayal from the Siren Sect Vampires, Xarus foolishly allows its leader Alyssa to live and keep serving him. Alyssa secretly slips one of the light-deflecting pendants to Janus which enabled him to escape after the Claw Sect betrayed him to Xarus. While wearing a light-deflecting pendant, Xarus declares himself Lord of the Vampires in front of his vampire army.
This resulted in the X-Men and Blade banding together to fight the forces of Xarus. Blade objects to Cyclops' plan to resurrect Dracula which ends up happening. In the climax of the battle, Xarus is killed by Dracula who reclaims control of the vampire clans yet does not do anymore hostilities towards the mutant community.
Pure bloods remain youthful during very long lives. For example, Charlotte, a pure blood vampire of the House of Chthon in Blade: The Series
, is about 300 years old and still maintains the youthful appearance of an adolescent girl. A pure-blood vampire that looks like a full-grown adult is truly ancient.
This youthfulness is due to pure blood ability to biologically regenerate from birth, meaning that unless injured with silver, they will heal all injuries flawlessly. It is also implied that they can see in light levels considerably below that of human visibility. While all vampires are capable of having offspring both through reproduction and 'turning', the birth-rate between mating pure bloods is so low that it is practically non-existent.
A pure-blood vampire is unable to become a human again, due to the condition being fixed in their DNA. This is not the case with non-pure bloods. In the first Blade film, a retrovirus is found that can return non-pure bloods to their human status.
These differences result in a class system divided according to pure blood or non-pure blood status. Pure bloods derive their importance from the 'incorruptibility' of their lineage and accordingly tend to take positions of dominance, regarding themselves as superior. Non-pure bloods are often in lower positions such as lackeys, minions or lieutenants. Non-pure blood reaction to this state of affairs is diverse; some accept the hierarchy as natural or even regard pure bloods as gods, while others look upon pure bloods with disdain.
. The character Eli Damaskinos (played by Thomas Kretschmann
), an ancient vampire elder, created this strain of the breed in a quest to eliminate the weaknesses of the vampire race. Carriers of the Reaper strain are known as 'Reapers'. Their heightened metabolism prompts them to feed more often, which causes the strain to spread rapidly. With the exception of the first Reaper, Jared Nomak (played by Luke Goss
), they are incapable of human speech, communicating through snarls and growls, though they retain enough intelligence to follow Nomak's orders, attack in an organized way, and set traps for their enemies and prey.
The only Reaper weaknesses are their intolerance to sunlight and/or ultraviolet rays, which causes them to combust almost instantly; as well as the constant pain caused by the virus in their systems. Impaling a Reaper through the heart is possible, but difficult due to the extra layer of bone. Additionally, with the exception of Nomak, all other Reapers are so dependent on blood that their bodies will start to consume themselves if they are unable to feed for a couple of hours, although their bodies will still try and 'feed' even after their brains die.
A feeding tube with sharp teeth for penetration is used for feeding.
and is played by actor Luke Goss
in a narrative that uses themes of family estrangement to develop conflict between different strains of vampire as well as vampire-killers. Nomak is the son of the vampire elder Eli Damaskinos, who created and gave the Reaper strain to him. Damaskinos is apparently estranged from both Nomak and Nomak's sister Nyssa, so Nomak becomes a renegade and sets out for revenge, in a campaign to transform others into Reapers.
This effort is resisted by Damaskinos through an alliance with the hero of the series, Blade. Damaskinos offers his elite pack of killers (the 'Bloodpack'), originally trained to slay Blade, to hunt and kill Nomak and his Reapers. Nomak also initially offers an alliance to Blade, who refuses, and they battle.
It is later revealed that Damaskinos created the Reapers in an attempt to create a strain of vampire called Daywalkers, and that Nomak is the result of this failed attempt. This contributes to their estrangement.
Due to his superior Reaper powers, Nomak succeeds in killing Damaskinos and transmitting the Reaper strain to Nyssa, before being killed by Blade.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Blade
Blade (comics)
Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, Vampires (Homines Nocturnae) are a sub-offshoot of humanity descended from Drake (also known as Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
or Dagon
Dagon
Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and fish and/or fishing...
), a Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
ian who was worshipped as a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. His progeny are known as "Pure-Bloods", while those beings who are bitten by Drake or his descendants are merely byproducts of vampirism.
This genealogy is the background to the Blade
Blade (comics)
Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
comics, the movies Blade
Blade (film)
Blade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
, Blade II
Blade II
Blade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
, and Blade: Trinity
Blade: Trinity
Blade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
; and the Blade
Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
TV series.
The series is named for its hero, a vampire-killer named Blade.
Overview
Vampirism in the Blade universe broadly shares many of the characteristics of vampirism in wider folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and popular culture, but also differs in certain details. A significant difference between Blade vampires and the folkloric depiction of vampires is the definition of vampirism as a biological condition and not just a supernatural affliction. Blade vampires are not affected by religious symbols such as crucifixes and holy water. Other attributes traditionally associated with the folkloric description of vampirism such as turning into mist or a bat, or living hermit-like lives, are not depicted in the Blade universe. Blade vampires are intricately involved in modern human society and live high-tech lives. The Blade vampire races also possess their own language
Fictional language
Fictional languages are by far the largest group of artistic languages. Fictional languages are intended to be the languages of a fictional world and are often designed with the intent of giving more depth and an appearance of plausibility to the fictional worlds with which they are associated, and...
, which all vampires speak. A majority of all vampires also speak human languages.
In the Blade universe, vampirism is a virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
transmitted through the vampire's saliva during a neck bite, made by the vampire's fangs when feeding, or by dying with vampire blood in one's system or after being bitten. It takes approximately 72 hours after infection for the virus to effect a mutation in the victim to become a vampire, considered here as a new life form. This life form's blood cells cannot produce haemoglobin and so must feed on human blood. The diet of humans is edible to vampires, but provides little to no nutritional value. This need for human blood is known as "The Thirst".
This mutation endows the vampire with an improved metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
and other biological functions that grant numerous improved or even superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
capabilities. These are made possible via new specialized organ
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
s created during the mutation process.
Such physical capabilities include:
- ImmortalityImmortalityImmortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
- superhuman StrengthSuperhuman strengthSuperhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
: For example, the ability to leap large distances and to deliver powerful blows which can throw an adult male human across the room; the impact of such blows are able to crack solid surfaces such as concrete. - Superhuman SpeedSpeedster (fiction)A speedster is a fictional character in superhero fiction, particularly comic books, whose primary power is the superhuman ability to perform physical and/or mental acts at impossibly high speeds. The most recognizable such superhero is the Flash...
: For example, the ability to dodge bullets and move faster than the eye can see. - Superhuman Agility: Vampires move with great agility, flexibility, and reflexes. They are also able to scale sheer surfaces including walls and ceilings.
- Healing FactorHealing factorA healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate...
: Wounds tend only to slow the vampire down, and the vampire recovers faster (even in some cases regeneration lost body parts). This process is accelerated by the consumption of human blood. - Superhuman Senses: Particularly in the TV series, in which vampires can see in the dark and perceive the ultraviolet spectrum.
Vampires in Blade universe belong to different Tribes. Dependent on their Tribe, vampires will additionally possess specific strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Reapers are able to scale almost any surface like spiders, or even standing perpendicular to the wall (as seen in Blade II). Additionaly a Reaper's only weakness is exposure to sunlight or ultra-violet rays which can result in spontaneous combustion or turning into ash. This process is known by fans as 'ashing'.
The pure blood or non-pure blood status of a vampire also affects their social standing and physical abilities. In later versions, new strains such as the 'Reaper' strain also affect the vampires' abilities.
Curse of the Mutants
In the Curse of the MutantsCurse of the Mutants
"Curse of the Mutants" is a 2010 Marvel Comics storyline. The story arc centers around Dracula's son Xarus becoming a new vampire lord and Jubilee being turned into a vampire.-Publication history:...
storyline, Dracula's son Xarus overthrows him by killing him and unites all of the Vampire Sects under him. These sects include the Claw Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire warriors), the Charniputra Sect Vampires, the Mystikos Sect Vampires (a clan of business vampires), the Nosferatu Sect Vampires, the Krieger Sect Vampires, the Atlantean
Homo mermanus
Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This race is best known as the people who live in the Atlantis of Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
Sect Vampires, the Moksha Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seers), and the Siren Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seductresses). Xarus' allies in the Mystikos Sect managed to invent a special device which can block the frequencies of light that are harmful to Vampires. Xarus decided to use this device to create a new, more dominant place in the world for vampires as he has each device handed out to his vampire allies. Upon attacking the fortress of the Krieger Sect Vampires, Xarus' allies eliminate the clan's elder leadership. He has the Claw Sect not declare itself for him, so it can hang back and be contacted by any would-be traitors seeking an alliance like his brother Janus Tepes
Janus (Marvel Comics)
Janus is a fictional comic-book character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:The Golden Angel was a possessing spirit who claimed to be an angel, a messenger and warrior of God. This angel was revealed to have appeared to Dracula and thwarted his will in the past...
and the peaceful Anchorite Sect. Following an attempted betrayal from the Siren Sect Vampires, Xarus foolishly allows its leader Alyssa to live and keep serving him. Alyssa secretly slips one of the light-deflecting pendants to Janus which enabled him to escape after the Claw Sect betrayed him to Xarus. While wearing a light-deflecting pendant, Xarus declares himself Lord of the Vampires in front of his vampire army.
This resulted in the X-Men and Blade banding together to fight the forces of Xarus. Blade objects to Cyclops' plan to resurrect Dracula which ends up happening. In the climax of the battle, Xarus is killed by Dracula who reclaims control of the vampire clans yet does not do anymore hostilities towards the mutant community.
Pure Blood and Non-Pure Blood (turned) vampires
Vampires are divided into two specific species categories, pure blood and non-pure blood, which carry specific connotations reflected in their society and hierarchy. Pure bloods are born as vampires, the offspring of two people who are already vampires. Non-pure blood, or 'turned', vampires have had a human existence before being turned into a vampire.Pure bloods remain youthful during very long lives. For example, Charlotte, a pure blood vampire of the House of Chthon in Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
, is about 300 years old and still maintains the youthful appearance of an adolescent girl. A pure-blood vampire that looks like a full-grown adult is truly ancient.
This youthfulness is due to pure blood ability to biologically regenerate from birth, meaning that unless injured with silver, they will heal all injuries flawlessly. It is also implied that they can see in light levels considerably below that of human visibility. While all vampires are capable of having offspring both through reproduction and 'turning', the birth-rate between mating pure bloods is so low that it is practically non-existent.
A pure-blood vampire is unable to become a human again, due to the condition being fixed in their DNA. This is not the case with non-pure bloods. In the first Blade film, a retrovirus is found that can return non-pure bloods to their human status.
These differences result in a class system divided according to pure blood or non-pure blood status. Pure bloods derive their importance from the 'incorruptibility' of their lineage and accordingly tend to take positions of dominance, regarding themselves as superior. Non-pure bloods are often in lower positions such as lackeys, minions or lieutenants. Non-pure blood reaction to this state of affairs is diverse; some accept the hierarchy as natural or even regard pure bloods as gods, while others look upon pure bloods with disdain.
Blade
- The House of Erebus Leaders — Twelve leaders who were used in the ritual to empower Deacon FrostDeacon FrostDeacon Frost is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Universe. He appears in The Tomb of Dracula and in the Blade limited series.- Publication history :...
and make him the vampire Blood god La Magra in the first film. - Elder Member of House of Erebus — Killed by Mercury for insulting her.
- Gitano Dragonetti — Former head of the House of Erebus. Had his fangs forcibly removed (de-fanged), and then was killed by exposure to the sunrise.
Blade II
- Overlord Eli Damaskinos — An old vampire lord with undetermined political power. He has the unusual physical traits of gray skin and greenish blood. He is killed by his mutated "son" Jared Nomak.
- Nyssa Damaskinos — Daughter of Eli Damaskinos and "sister" of Jared Nomak. Bitten by Nomak and ashes in the sunlight at her request.
- Bloodpack — A group of pure bloods that Eli Damaskinos and his familiar Karel Kounen trained to kill Blade until the Reaper threat. Most of them were slain in their attempt to neutralize a breed of vampires known as Reapers.
- Rheinhardt — Member of the Bloodpack. Killed by Blade.
- Chupa — A pugnacious member of the Bloodpack.
- Asad — A well-mannered member of the Bloodpack.
- Snowman — A mute swordsman and member of the Bloodpack.
- Verlaine — A red-haired female member of the Bloodpack. She ashed herself in order to kill Lighthammer.
- Lighthammer — A hulking, hammer-wielding member of the Bloodpack. He ended up falling victim to the Reapers. He was ashed by Verlaine.
- Priest — A Scottish-accented member of the Bloodpack. He fell victim to the Reapers and was ashed when Blade let some sunlight into the area.
Blade: Trinity
- Drake (aka DraculaDracula (Marvel Comics)Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
) — The first vampire, the oldest of the pure bloods. He was killed by Blade.
Blade: The Series
- House of Chthon Conclave Delegates — Representatives of the House of Chthon from the live-action series. They are all very old and powerful purebloods. They were killed by Blade.
- Overlord Rusk — A pure blood of the House of Chthon. Killed by Blade.
- Charlotte — A pure blood of the House of Chthon. Was 'ashed' by Blade.
- Damek — The last remaining pureblood of the House of Armaya. Was 'ashed' by Marcus.
- Alex — House of Erebus. Considered something of a maverick by the other purebloods of Erebus, he spent his time trying to distance himself from the others of his House, who, according to him, were becoming increasingly conservative out of a growing fear of losing their grip. He was killed in a gruesome experiment to test the refined Aurora vaccine/Retroviral weapon.
Reaper
Reapers appear for the first time in Blade IIBlade II
Blade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
. The character Eli Damaskinos (played by Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
), an ancient vampire elder, created this strain of the breed in a quest to eliminate the weaknesses of the vampire race. Carriers of the Reaper strain are known as 'Reapers'. Their heightened metabolism prompts them to feed more often, which causes the strain to spread rapidly. With the exception of the first Reaper, Jared Nomak (played by Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
), they are incapable of human speech, communicating through snarls and growls, though they retain enough intelligence to follow Nomak's orders, attack in an organized way, and set traps for their enemies and prey.
Strengths and weaknesses
Reapers gain distinct advantages over other vampires.- A thick case of bone covering their heart in the front and back, making it near-impossible to be staked directly.
- A 'three-way' jaw, where the left and right sides of the mouth have fangs that inject a neurotoxinNeurotoxinA neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
to paralyze their victims while feeding. This jaw is easily concealed, allowing the Reaper to surprise the victim. - The ability to transfer the Reaper strain to victims through a bite.
- The ability to turn even a dead victim into a Reaper.
- A highly evolved 'thirst', which allows them feed on both humans and normal vampires alike.
- Even greater speed, strength, and ability to withstand injury than normal vampires.
- Total resistance to silver and garlic.
- Improved resistance to normal vampire weaknesses, such as EDTA.
The only Reaper weaknesses are their intolerance to sunlight and/or ultraviolet rays, which causes them to combust almost instantly; as well as the constant pain caused by the virus in their systems. Impaling a Reaper through the heart is possible, but difficult due to the extra layer of bone. Additionally, with the exception of Nomak, all other Reapers are so dependent on blood that their bodies will start to consume themselves if they are unable to feed for a couple of hours, although their bodies will still try and 'feed' even after their brains die.
Appearance
Reapers have a greenish complexion and little hair. They have a thin scar starting from the lower lip that ends at the base of the neck.A feeding tube with sharp teeth for penetration is used for feeding.
Jared Nomak
Jared Nomak, the first Reaper, is the main antagonist of the film Blade IIBlade II
Blade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
and is played by actor Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
in a narrative that uses themes of family estrangement to develop conflict between different strains of vampire as well as vampire-killers. Nomak is the son of the vampire elder Eli Damaskinos, who created and gave the Reaper strain to him. Damaskinos is apparently estranged from both Nomak and Nomak's sister Nyssa, so Nomak becomes a renegade and sets out for revenge, in a campaign to transform others into Reapers.
This effort is resisted by Damaskinos through an alliance with the hero of the series, Blade. Damaskinos offers his elite pack of killers (the 'Bloodpack'), originally trained to slay Blade, to hunt and kill Nomak and his Reapers. Nomak also initially offers an alliance to Blade, who refuses, and they battle.
It is later revealed that Damaskinos created the Reapers in an attempt to create a strain of vampire called Daywalkers, and that Nomak is the result of this failed attempt. This contributes to their estrangement.
Due to his superior Reaper powers, Nomak succeeds in killing Damaskinos and transmitting the Reaper strain to Nyssa, before being killed by Blade.
Powers and abilities
Nomak possesses the common powers of the Reapers. However in addition to this, perhaps as he is the first Reaper, Nomak seems to be in much more control of his 'thirst' than the other Reapers he turns, and his physiology allows him to go for longer periods between feedings than his fellows. Nomak also retains all of his higher brain functions, not only relying on his basic instincts to feed, but also being able to formulate plans and initiate dialogue.External links
- Vampires at Marvel Wikia
- List of Vampires at Marvel Wikia