Summary

• [Spoilers] betrayal of the Avengers in Blood Hunt #1 is a shocking turn of events that eclipses even Iron Man's infamous actions in Civil War, which remain consequential in the Marvel Universe even to this day.
• Marvel's latest crossover event promises to be its goriest ever, as the vampire attack unleashed across the globe is set to have devastating consequences that will change the future trajectory of the Marvel Universe.
• [Spoilers] betrayal of the Avengers seems to have been building over several story arcs, leading to this inevitable act of treachery.

Warning: Spoilers for Blood Hunt #1!As if Civil War didn't shatter the Avengers enough, Marvel's finest superteam just suffered an even worse stab in the back – in this case, literally. The bitter feud between Captain America and Iron Man was brutal enough to nearly destroy the Avengers from within, but now, as the true horror of the Blood Hunt dawns on the Marvel Universe, it has begun with a truly stunning betrayal.

Blood Hunt #1 – by Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz – initiates the latest Civil War-level event plaguing the Marvel Universe, as darkness envelops the Earth and vampires launch a coordinated attack against the world's heroes.

Already, the Avengers have suffered multiple casualties, but the greatest shock came with the revelation that Blade is the mastermind behind the vampire plot.

Blade's Betrayal Is On A Completely Different Level Than Iron Man's

There's Nothing "Civil" About Blood Hunt

Hard as it might have been for many Marvel heroes to warm up to Tony Stark again post-Civil War, it's going to be virtually impossible for the world to forgive Blade for the damage he's caused already.

Blade being revealed as the leader of Marvel's ultraviolent vampire war is possibly the worst blow that the Avengers have ever suffered. Many readers have previously considered Iron Man's actions in Civil War to be the top betrayal in team history, but his position can at least be argued – Blade's actions, at least at this point, seem indefensible. Not only did Tony genuinely believe what he was doing was for the greater good, as did those who followed him on Team Iron Man, but even Civil War's writer intended for him to be the hero of this story.

As of now, Blade plunging the world into darkness, contributing to multiple Avengers deaths, can't be justified. Hard as it might have been for many Marvel heroes to warm up to Tony Stark again post-Civil War, it's going to be virtually impossible for the world to forgive Blade for the damage he's caused already, assuming that redemption is even possible for him. While Iron Man's betrayal affected his relationships with other heroes for years to come, Blade's betrayal has affected the entire world on a devastating scale.

Blade Was Destined To Betray the Avengers

His Latest Arc Has Been Leading To This

It seems Blade's last several arcs have been part of the creative team's plan to plant doubt in the readers' head about the character's true intentions.

What makes this comparison most interesting comes with understanding Blade's reasoning for betraying the Avengers. The "how" and "why" of the matter won't come until later, but for now, Blade's betrayal almost feels like a manifest destiny to the Avengers, even more so than Tony's did. For a long time, Blade's distance to the Avengers was always apparent. One can argue that he was never the team player he needed to be for the Avengers, and at the dawn of Blood Hunt especially, it felt like his negligence would lead to the team's downfall.

Readers must wonder if all of this was by design, leading to this inevitable betrayal. It seems Blade's last several arcs have been part of the creative team's plan to plant doubt in the readers' head about the character's true intentions. Each of his past several storylines certainly lines up now where his lack of being a team player plays perfectly into being the one to destroy the team. Especially as Bryan Edward Hill's latest miniseries gave Blade his biggest upgrade to date, it feels like his betrayal of the Avengers was always inevitable.

Blood Hunt #1 is on sale now from Marvel