Summary

• "Daywalker" nickname for Blade no longer fitting post-Blood Hunt events in Fantastic Four #23 preview.
• Blood Hunt crossover outcomes lead to tense environment among Marvel characters in issue.
• Vampires facing similar challenges as X-Men and other Marvel heroes after paradigm shift in universe shown in FF #23.

Contains a preview for Fantastic Four #23!

The cool nickname Marvel had for Blade is wearing out its welcome in a new preview for Fantastic Four #23. Previously, Daywalker was an apt description for the vampire hunting dhampir. Now, given the fallout of the events of the Blood Hunt crossover, that nickname may need to be changed given its newest use.

Fantastic Four #23 has the creative team of Ryan North, Carlos Gómez, Jesus Aburtov, and Joe Caramagna. This is the first issue involving the team since the major events of Blood Hunt, including Doctor Doom's latest position and power change, and the defeat of Varnae. With so many changes in Marvel going on, it's no wonder that tensions are riding a bit high among Earth's inhabitants.

Blood Hunt spanned approximately 52 issues, dealing with the invasion of vampires on Earth and the conflicts that occurred between Marvel's iconic heroes, including Blade. With the primary conflict resolved, each team and hero is left to carry on and navigate the newest shifts to the universe.

Blade's Daywalker Moniker is No Longer a Compliment

Marvel's Vampire Paradigm has Shifted in a Big Way

A preview for Fantastic Four #23 follows Johnny Storm as the narrator as he and Sue discuss the latest events and concerns of the team. Reed has been very focused on figuring out Doctor Doom's plans now that he's become the Sorcerer Supreme, having taken the power from Doctor Strange in a deal to save the world. However, while going about a very normal day, tensions among civilians and vampires rise, leading to the term "Daywalker" being used as a slur and verbal attack towards a vampire. This is a major change from the way it used to just be a moniker to describe Blade's strange position between a vampiric and human hybrid existence.

Blood Hunt has created a major paradigm shift for vampires in the Marvel universe...

It's not unusual for newcomers to daily living on Earth outwardly has led to tensions and possible harrassment, of both a physical and verbal nature. This has been the case with mutants in the X-Men, Skrulls, and other superbeings in the Marvel universe. Now, vampires are having their turn to be attacked given the attempted takeover that the ancient vampire Varnae tried to Blood Hunt. As a result, Daywalker may no longer be the compliment and adjective it once served as specifically for Blade. Its negative rise against vampires could lead to it falling out of fashion - at least for the foreseeable future while the fallout lasts.

Vampires Now Face Similar Struggles to the X-Men & Other Marvel Heroes

This change may not have been expected, but it also isn't incredibly surprising given the kinds of negativity that mutants and other beings in the Marvel universe have faced before. Otherness and harassment from common people has long been a major conflict Marvel's heroes have contended with and fought against. Vampires will have a long road ahead of them to try to be accepted as part of the overall population on Earth now that they're out in the open and able to walk freely in the sunlight. Blood Hunt has created a major paradigm shift for vampires in the Marvel universe, and Fantastic Four #23 is revealing the uphill climb they'll have moving forward.

Fantastic Four #23 will be available August 14 from Marvel Comics.