Abraham Whistler
Encyclopedia
Abraham Whistler is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is a vampire hunter
and mentor to Blade
. Screenwriter David S. Goyer
created him for the 1998 film Blade
(played by Kris Kristofferson
), but he first appeared on screen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell
and later by Oliver Muirhead
. In 2006, he appeared in the television show Blade: The Series
. Although he is inspired partially by the character Jamal Afari
from the comics, sharing certain traits, Whistler has yet to make a transition to the comics.
Whistler is a weapons expert and master of several martial arts, having a part in creating many of Blade's weapons. When he discovered a thirteen year old Blade on the streets preying on the homeless, he took him under his wing. Realizing that he was half human and lacked a vampire's normal weaknesses with the exception of their thirst, he developed a serum to suppress the vampiric lust for blood.
Deacon Frost
, an ambitious vampire whom Whistler and Blade had been tracking, located their base and attacked Whistler, ordering him to be infected with vampirism. After informing Blade of Frost's plan to resurrect an ancient vampire god, Whistler then seemingly commits suicide, considering death a better fate than becoming a vampire. However his death is not seen on camera, only the sound of a gun firing is heard.
that Whistler survived his suicide attempt to be kidnapped by another gang of vampires and taken to the Czech Republic. Killing all but one of the vampires responsible for his imprisonment Blade frees him from suspended animation
, taking him to Prague and injecting him with the "cure". During his time with them, he was repeatedly tortured to the point of death, healed, and then tortured again.
Blade, Whistler, and Scud are summoned by the Shadow Council, ruled by overlord Eli Damaskinos to eradicate the reaper threat. Reinhardt and Chupa (played by Matt Schulze
), a friend of Priest who now wishes to kill Whistler to even the score with Blade, corner Whistler, and Chupa proceeds to savagely beat Whistler. Reinhardt leaves the two. Whistler, to save himself, releases the reaper pheromones into the air. As Chupa nearly beats Whistler to a pulp and is about to finish him off with a gun, reapers swarm the sewers and feed on Chupa, allowing Whistler to slip away.
, Blade is framed for the murder of several humans (who were in fact familiars being used as bait). Blade, now in the public eye and wanted by the FBI, is hunted down. In a raid on their new hideout, Whistler sets the self destruct mechanism and seemingly dies in an explosion. He is not seen or heard of afterwards (although Drake took the form of Whistler when he attacked the Nightstalkers).
Whistler fathered a daughter out of wedlock or before marriage. This daughter was Abigail Whistler who eventually tracked down her natural father and asked to be trained as a vampire hunter. Whistler trained her, although he trained her separately from Blade who was totally unaware that Whistler had any proteges other than himself. Whistler also set Abigail up as the leader of one of the many Nightstalker
units he had secretly founded. It is assumed that these units were set up because one man (or half-vampire) is not enough to destroy an entire species. Also, since Blade is not immortal (he will eventually die from old age if he is not killed in action first), Whistler did not want the war to die with him.
, which takes place after Blade: Trinity, the writers go into Whistler's background a little more. In the episode "Sacrifice", we learn that Whistler got his trademark limp from a young Blade, who escaped his father's house and broke Whistler's leg in an attempt to get away from him. Blade's father called Whistler in at the urging of a helpful policeman, and Whistler tested him to learn that he was not a regular vampire. He asked Blade's father to give him the boy to use as a weapon against vampires, but Blade ran away
before a decision was made. After Blade joined and turned a street gang called the "Bad Bloods", Whistler found him and ashed several members of the gang before taking Blade under his wing.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is a vampire hunter
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
and mentor to Blade
Blade (comics)
Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
. Screenwriter David S. Goyer
David S. Goyer
David Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...
created him for the 1998 film Blade
Blade (film)
Blade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
(played by Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
), but he first appeared on screen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
and later by Oliver Muirhead
Oliver Muirhead
Oliver Muirhead is an English character actor known for often portraying pompous country gentlemen. In 1986, he also directed the musical pantomime A Christmas Held Captive. In addition to acting, Muirhead has also lent his voice to various animated series such as P.J...
. In 2006, he appeared in the television show Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
. Although he is inspired partially by the character Jamal Afari
Jamal Afari
Jamal Afari is a fictional character and vampire hunter in the Marvel Universe, a former mentor of Blade and a sometime jazz player who is best known for his wise teachings of vampires. Afari first appeared in Marvel Preview #3 in 1975...
from the comics, sharing certain traits, Whistler has yet to make a transition to the comics.
Blade
In the first Blade film it is revealed that Whistler lost his wife and two daughters to an attack by a vampire who had arrived at their home posing as a drifter. Whistler was beaten and tortured, being forced to choose which one of his family died first. These events shaped his hatred of vampires and his mission to destroy as many as he could.Whistler is a weapons expert and master of several martial arts, having a part in creating many of Blade's weapons. When he discovered a thirteen year old Blade on the streets preying on the homeless, he took him under his wing. Realizing that he was half human and lacked a vampire's normal weaknesses with the exception of their thirst, he developed a serum to suppress the vampiric lust for blood.
Deacon Frost
Deacon Frost
Deacon Frost is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Universe. He appears in The Tomb of Dracula and in the Blade limited series.- Publication history :...
, an ambitious vampire whom Whistler and Blade had been tracking, located their base and attacked Whistler, ordering him to be infected with vampirism. After informing Blade of Frost's plan to resurrect an ancient vampire god, Whistler then seemingly commits suicide, considering death a better fate than becoming a vampire. However his death is not seen on camera, only the sound of a gun firing is heard.
Blade II
It is revealed in the second Blade filmBlade II
Blade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
that Whistler survived his suicide attempt to be kidnapped by another gang of vampires and taken to the Czech Republic. Killing all but one of the vampires responsible for his imprisonment Blade frees him from suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, taking him to Prague and injecting him with the "cure". During his time with them, he was repeatedly tortured to the point of death, healed, and then tortured again.
Blade, Whistler, and Scud are summoned by the Shadow Council, ruled by overlord Eli Damaskinos to eradicate the reaper threat. Reinhardt and Chupa (played by Matt Schulze
Matt Schulze
Matthew Steven "Matt" Schulze is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Schulze was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. At age 16, he moved to Atlanta, where he studied guitar at the Atlanta Institute of Music. He moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to be a studio musician, but ended up doing...
), a friend of Priest who now wishes to kill Whistler to even the score with Blade, corner Whistler, and Chupa proceeds to savagely beat Whistler. Reinhardt leaves the two. Whistler, to save himself, releases the reaper pheromones into the air. As Chupa nearly beats Whistler to a pulp and is about to finish him off with a gun, reapers swarm the sewers and feed on Chupa, allowing Whistler to slip away.
Blade: Trinity
In the third Blade filmBlade: Trinity
Blade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
, Blade is framed for the murder of several humans (who were in fact familiars being used as bait). Blade, now in the public eye and wanted by the FBI, is hunted down. In a raid on their new hideout, Whistler sets the self destruct mechanism and seemingly dies in an explosion. He is not seen or heard of afterwards (although Drake took the form of Whistler when he attacked the Nightstalkers).
Whistler fathered a daughter out of wedlock or before marriage. This daughter was Abigail Whistler who eventually tracked down her natural father and asked to be trained as a vampire hunter. Whistler trained her, although he trained her separately from Blade who was totally unaware that Whistler had any proteges other than himself. Whistler also set Abigail up as the leader of one of the many Nightstalker
Nightstalkers (comics)
The Nightstalkers is a fictional trio of preexisting characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A team of occult experts, they reluctantly banded together to fight supernatural threats....
units he had secretly founded. It is assumed that these units were set up because one man (or half-vampire) is not enough to destroy an entire species. Also, since Blade is not immortal (he will eventually die from old age if he is not killed in action first), Whistler did not want the war to die with him.
Blade: The Series
In Blade: The SeriesBlade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
, which takes place after Blade: Trinity, the writers go into Whistler's background a little more. In the episode "Sacrifice", we learn that Whistler got his trademark limp from a young Blade, who escaped his father's house and broke Whistler's leg in an attempt to get away from him. Blade's father called Whistler in at the urging of a helpful policeman, and Whistler tested him to learn that he was not a regular vampire. He asked Blade's father to give him the boy to use as a weapon against vampires, but Blade ran away
Runaway youth
A runaway is a minor or a person under an arbitrary age, depending upon the local jurisdiction, who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under...
before a decision was made. After Blade joined and turned a street gang called the "Bad Bloods", Whistler found him and ashed several members of the gang before taking Blade under his wing.