In Wolverine’s ongoing quest to stop the Vampire Nation, Logan finds himself in a situation that Blade faced in his first film.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wolverine #11, by Benjamin Percy, Scot Eaton, JP Mayer, Matthew Wilson & VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now
In the wake of the X of Swords crossover, Wolverine has been keeping himself busy in his latest solo series. From investigating missing Krakoan petals becoming a street drug called Pollen to teaming=up with hos old partner Maverick to investigate anti-mutant strikeforce, Logan can’t seem to catch a break lately.
And since a bloodied Omega Red claimed refuge on Krakoa, Logan has been investigating the growing numbers of Dracula and the Vampire Nation, who want Wolverine’s blood to counteract the harmful effects of daylight. Along the way, Logan teamed up with Louise, a vampire slayer for the Nightguard. And the events of Wolverine #11 push her and Logan into a plot that echoes the events of 1998’s Blade movie.
Without Omega Red’s knowledge, the X-Men installed a tracker on him, leading them back to Dracula’s stronghold in the irradiated Chernobyl. Before moving forward with their plan of attack, Wolverine heads to Paris to enlist the help of Louise for his next vampire battle. When he returns to meet her, he learns that she and several other Nightguard members were betrayed by the group’s leader. After a Nightguard meeting turned into an ambush, Louise was bitten and is in the process of turning into a vampire herself. To slow the transition, Wolverine has her feed on his blood, keeping her more human than vampire as they take on the vampire horde.
This particular plot bears a striking resemblance to 1998’s Blade, where Wesley Snipes starred as Marvel’s most famous vampire hunter. In the first installment of the trilogy, the half-man, half-vampire in the middle of his war with the vampires. Along the way, the Daywalker rescues a hematologist named Karen, who is bitten by a vampire and is slowly turning. Blade offers her his blood to stall the transformation, and she later returns the favor to him after the enemy captures him and drains his blood to enhance their own abilities. This allows him to recover quickly from his wounds and confront the enemy for a memorable battle. In the end, Karen winds up creating a stronger serum to help Blade with his cravings, allowing him to continue his war against the vampires.
With Dracula working on a serum to allow him to survive the daylight it doesn’t look like he is done with Wolverine just yet. Dracula and Wolverine seem to be on a collision course, with Louise and Omega Red serving as wild cards who both could end up on either side once the final battlelines are drawn.
With the X-Men’s current technology, Marvel’s mutants may very well be able to synthesize whatever Louise and Omega Red need to sustain their supernatural appetites. But for the moment, both of these characters are trapped between the needs of their humanity and their hunger.
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