Blade (born Eric Brooks) was born in a whorehouse in the Soho neighborhood of London, England in 1929. Eric’s mother, Tara Brooks, was a prostitute at Madame Vanity’s Brothel. When Tara experienced severe labor complications, a doctor was summoned who was in actuality Deacon Frost, a vampire who feasted on her during Eric’s birth and killed her.

However, this inadvertently passed along certain enzymes in his own blood to the infant. This resulted in Eric’s quasi-vampiric abilities, including a greatly prolonged lifespan and the ability to sense supernatural creatures, as well as an immunity to complete vampirism. Brooks’ fellow prostitutes drove off Frost before he could kill the infant as well.

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Blade’s victories made him cocky. He joined a street gang, the Bloodshadows, headed by Cyrus Cutter, later killed by Blade in a knife fight caused by Blade’s disapproval of Cutter’s actions as leader. Glory Anah, Cutter’s girlfriend, later became Blade’s. Having gone to London, where for months they hunted vampires, demons and warlocks, the group encountered a much older and more powerful vampire than any Blade had met before, named Lamia. Blade barely defeated Lamia, with the other members of the group being killed, except Glory, who was turned into a vampire whilst Blade was down. Although Glory subsequently refused to kill Blade in recognition of their relationship, she warned him never to look for her, or she would kill him. The tragedy of the experience left Blade more determined than ever to dedicate his life to the complete extermination of vampires.