Abraham Whistler is a fictional character appearing in media based on Marvel Comics. A vampire hunter and the mentor of Blade, created by David S. Goyer for the 1998 film Blade, named after Abraham van Helsing, the nemesis of Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), Whistler first appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in 1995, adapted from Goyer's then-unfilmed screenplay, where he was originally voiced by Malcolm McDowell and later by Oliver Muirhead. Whistler then made his live-action debut in Blade, portrayed by Kris Kristofferson, who reprised the role in Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), with comparisons made between Whistler and Jamal Afari, who appeared in the original Marvel Comics as Blade's mentor. A young Whistler returned in Blade: The Series in 2006, portrayed by Adrian Glynn McMorran, and in Rick and Morty in 2023, voiced again by Kristofferson.
Kris Kristofferson as Abraham Whistler in the Blade film series.
Interior artwork from Blade II: The Official Comic Adaptation #1 (May 2002). Art by Alberto Ponticelli & Tim Bradstreet
Whistler in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Blade (New Line franchise character)
Blade, born Eric Brooks and also known as The Daywalker, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Wesley Snipes and Sticky Fingaz in the New Line Cinema Blade franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name created by writer Marv Wolfman and illustrator Gene Colan. In his original 1970s comics, Blade had been depicted as a human immune to vampire bites, and had worn a red/green suit, bright green goggles, and an afro-style haircut. Wolfman and Colan updated his look in 1991 to include a dark leather jacket and short hair. The comics had also given Blade vaguely supernatural abilities, while still keeping him human. The character was completely streamlined for the film franchise, where Blade is depicted as a sunglasses and leather-wearing dhampir. In both comics and film, the character gained enhanced abilities after his mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him. A variation of the film's storyline was integrated into Spider-Man: The Animated Series by John Semper in 1995 ahead of the first Blade (1998) film being made, adapted from an early script for the film by David S. Goyer, and Blade's redesigned costume and powers were integrated into comics as well in 1999. Following two further sequel films starring Snipes: Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), Fingaz was cast to replace him in Blade: The Series in 2006.
Wesley Snipes as Blade in Blade: Trinity (2004)
Wesley Snipes speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.