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Blood Hunt #5

Jul 2024
Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz

Blood Hunt #5 cover

Story Name:

(no title given)


Synopsis

Blood Hunt #5 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
Varnae, the 1st vampire, possessed Blade, the vampire hunter, and arranged for the Sun's rays to be blocked from Earth by Darkforce energy so that his vampire army could take over the world. His Bloodcoven of superpowered vamps took over the Avengers' orbiting Impossible City and captured Black Panther, Scarlet Witch and Thor. Varnae then brought the pre-Atlantean temple where he was created to New York's Central Park. While the free Avengers opposed him, 3 other attacks were initiated. Dracula and newly-vampire Spider-Man (Miles Morales) escorted Blade's daughter Brielle Brooks whose bloodline would make it possible for her to kill her father. Hunter's Moon and Tigra freed the moon-god Khonshu from Asgard, who then unleashed his former Fists, including the dead Moon Knight. And Dr Strange's astral form (his body has been vamped) and Clea sought help from Dr Doom in getting rid of the Darkforce.

But Doom claims he can only do it if Strange passes the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to him. Now Stephen Strange agrees. But he asks if Doom himself has organised the whole thing for this purpose.

The Avengers, including newly-rescued BP and Thor, attack the Bloodcoven in the Temple. Vision blasts the magic-eater Unusual which frees the remaining Avenger Scarlet Witch. Captain America (Sam Wilson) saves T'Challa from Bloodstorm, and BP thanks him also for last issue's stirring speech which energised him to fully throw-off his vampire-infection (and free Thor from the magic spike through his head). The Thunder God now seeks a rematch with Varnae (they fought over 1,000 years ago in Marvel Comics Presents #63). He summons Mjolnir but it's still up in the orbiting City, and Varnae/Blade with his 2 swords thinks he can kill him before the hammer gets here. They clash. Iron Man asks Wanda Maximoff to use the Montesi Formula (contained in the Darkhold book which she 'swallowed' along with it's author Chthon (Darkhold Omega 1-shot). SW refuses to commit genocide (against vampires) as she did once before (against mutants at the end of the House Of M event). Bloodstorm accuses her of the weakness of humanity as he rips the synthezoid Vision's arm off and throws him at her.

Victor Von Doom ignores the question and claims that the Avengers plus Khonshu's followers won't be enough to turn the tide. Strange asks for his word of honour that  when the world is saved he will return to him what is his. Victor gives his word. Clea protests. Stephen reminds Clea that when he was dead (in the Death Of Dr Strange event obviously) she bonded a fragment of his soul to hers to take on the Supreme power. As he is now 1 of the undead if he gives Doom a part of his soul the same thing should happen. That's what he does and that's what occurs.

Meanwhile (after the Dracula: Blood Hunt mini-series) Brielle, Dracula and Spider-vamp approach the Temple. She says she ready to kill her dad with her sword.

Thor's losing the fight against Varnae who berates him as a fellow immortal for siding with the mortals. But then Mjolnir joins the Asgardian's hand, followed by a lightning strike. Iron Man asks Captain Marvel to blast through the Darkforce to give them sunlight (as she did in #2), but Carol Danvers tells him that the darkness over the Temple is too thick as she zaps Smoke Eater. Tony Stark himself is menaced by Damascene until Vision's blasts it's head off. But he has little solar power remaining. However Moon Knight then shows up with the army of Khonshu's Fists.

Von Doom leads Clea and Stephen to where he has gathered 6 students from the Strange Academy. He reminds them that Varnae's magic that breached the Darkforce Dimension is pre-Atlantean. But over the years he has gathered much old magic knowledge and artefacts which has enabled him to see a way of cancelling Varnae's spell. He will use the different magics of Strange's students from different species and combine them to save the world.

Bloodstorm is attacking Vision again when Moon Knight takes him down with his blades. But Cruel attacks both heroes with his razorwires. The other Avengers aren't faring any better. And Varnae continues (from last issue) to draw the power of the Darkforce Dimension into himself. He gloats that he had only 1 weakness, the girl called Bloodline, and she's not here. Of course this is when Brielle Brooks announces herself as Dracula drops her from above and she plunges her sword into Eric Brooks' chest. But Varnae laughs because his takeover of Blade is so complete that it means the body is half his. She may be of Eric's bloodline but not of his. However Miles Morales was made a vampire by Varnae as Blade, so *he* is of Varnae's bloodline. And when he helps Brielle push the blade further through the shared body Varnae starts to spew out the absorbed Darkforce.

Doom senses that the vampire lord is weakened and so he strikes with the accumulated magic. All over the world the breaches into the Darkforce Dimension start sucking the Darkforce back, including over Varnae's Temple. Scarlet Witch expels Varnae from Blade's body. Brielle rushes to her father's side as he lies in a pool of blood. He commends her for doing what was necessary. Team leader CM tells SW to enclose Varnae with magic, BP & IM to keep Blade alive and CA & Thor to see what's happened to MK & Vizh. They find that the Bloodcoven have escaped. Carol herself sees that the Darkforce is disappearing and the Sun's coming out.

Stephen Strange congratulates Victor Von Doom for a job well done and asks for his Sorcerer Supreme power back. Doom says he promised to return it when he'd saved the world, but he still thinks the world needs more saving. Vampire Spider-Man discovers that as a result of Doom's spell he's no longer affected by sunlight. And Dracula laughs that it will be true of all vamps. And the Avengers see a global broadcast from Dr Doom claiming credit for the defeat of the vampires, and announcing himself as the new Sorcerer Supreme.


 

Review / Commentaries


Blood Hunt #5 Review by (August 2, 2024)
Fer Sifuentes-Sujo helps with the colouring.

Surely the army of vampires that was menacing the world during the Darkforce darkness can now continue to be a menace during the daylight, because they're now all daywalkers like Blade.

This event will be followed in a few months by another called One World Under Doom. Meanwhile this event will obviously affect the Dr Strange and Miles Morales: Spider-Man series. Plus the remaining 2 issues of Vengeance Of Moon Knight before it's replaced by Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu.
The trailer at the end of the issue suggests that Avengers #17 is also affected but I don't know why. Storm joining them is surely more an aftereffect of Fall Of The House Of X.



> Blood Hunt comic book info and issue index

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Pepe Larraz
Pepe Larraz
Marte Gracia
Pepe Larraz (Cover Penciler)
Pepe Larraz (Cover Inker)
Marte Gracia (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Cory Petit.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: C. B. Cebulski.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Panther
Black Panther

(T'Challa)
Blade
Blade

(Eric Brooks)
Captain America
Captain America

(Sam Wilson)
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel

(Carol Danvers)
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom

(Victor Von Doom)
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange

(Stephen Strange)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Moon Knight
Moon Knight

(Marc Spector)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)
Spider-Man
Spider-Man

(Miles Morales)
Thor
Thor

(Odinson)

Plus: Bloodcoven, Bloodline (Brielle Brooks), Varnae.

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