Blade. Superman is directly empowered by the sun to the point that even biting Superman is deadly for a vampire. That's why it's so surprising that Superman and Marvel's iconic half-vampire, Blade, share the exact same specific weakness to red sunlight.

Superman is one of the most powerful characters in superhero comics, but he has his fair share of weaknesses. He just so happens to share one of these weaknesses with Blade, which was revealed in Avengers #27 by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness.

Blade is a half-vampire and seems to benefit from all the power of being a vampire and none of the weaknesses. He has speed, strength, durability, and he can walk through sunlight with no problem. That's why it seemed like outer space wouldn't be a big problem for him, but it turns out that he just can't handle red sunlight, just like Superman.

Like Superman, Blade Can't Deal With Red Sunlight

Avengers #27 by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Jason Keith, and Cory Petit

One of the things that makes Blade such a dangerous vampire hunter is that he really doesn't have any weaknesses. Vampires usually have a lot of weaknesses that can be exploited, depending on the mythology, including holy water, garlic, stakes, silver, sunlight, crucifixes, and even rice. But Blade doesn't have any of these weaknesses. It seems that the only weakness unique to Blade's half-vampire biology is that he can't go near red sunlight. It turns out that red sunlight affects Blade just like regular sunlight affects full vampires.

It turns out that Blade has a pretty devastating weakness that he shares with DC's Superman. If a super-villain ever discovered this weakness, they'd be able to defeat Blade with ease. After all, it wouldn't take much for someone like Dracula to create a grenade or a gun that fires red sunlight, which would instantly defeat Blade. Considering the events of Blood Hunt - most vampires are immune to sunlight now - this red sunlight weakness actually puts Blade at a direct disadvantage.

Blade's Weakness to Red Sunlight Is Very Similar to Superman's

Superman Loses His Powers Under a Red Sun

Everyone always tries to use Kryptonite against Superman, but red solar radiation has always been one of Superman's biggest weaknesses. People who aren't as familiar with Superman's character might disagree, but red sunlight has been used against Superman in TV, animation, and comics. He was nearly beaten by John Henry Irons in Superman & Lois when John used red solar lamps. He was depowered by Batman in the animated adaptation of Superman: Red Son using solar lamps. In Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman: Endgame, Batman uses miniature red suns against Superman - and those are only a few examples.

Red sunlight doesn't necessarily weaken Superman, but it definitely removes his superpowers...

While yellow sunlight supercharges Superman's cells, red sunlight doesn't actually do anything for him. It doesn't necessarily weaken him, but it definitely removes his superpowers, bringing him back to the standard strength and durability of a Kryptonian, which makes it one of the most effective ways to bring Superman down. Red sunlight has been employed against Superman for decades by his enemies, mostly Lex Luthor. As strange as it is, both Blade and Superman share one major weakness, despite them being nearly polar opposites.

Avengers #27 is available now from Marvel Comics!