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Marvel's Blood Hunt is over - here's what you need to know about the 59-part superhero vs. vampire crossover

It's Vampires vs. the Marvel Universe. Who will bite it?

Graeme McMillan
Features by Graeme McMillan, Editor
Published on

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 If there’s one thing Marvel’s comic book superheroes are beginning to get used to, it’s painting the town red — not because they’re celebrating, but because the vampire invasion at the heart of this summer’s Blood Hunt comic book event has deeply twisted the Marvel Comics U. With the event ending this week - hope you're ready to pick up the fifth and final issue! - things are looking pretty long in the tooth, in a somewhat dangerous fashion for anyone with a pulse and a reflection. If you’re asking yourself, “Wait, what’s a Blood Hunt? Why are we talking about vampires?” then, good news: we’re here to explain everything to you.

Announced at New York Comic Con 2023, the Blood Hunt event — which includes a core title by Avengers writer Jed MacKay and X-Men artists Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia, as well as a number of tie-in issues — is the culmination of years’ worth of stories building the vampire threat in the Marvel Universe, and promised to be a bloody good time for all. Or, at the very least, a bloody one. Here’s what you should know:. 

What is the Blood Hunt plot?

Marvel Blood Hunt teaser
Image credit: Marvel Comics

In Frebruary 2024, Marvel released a trailer (more on that below) for the Blood Hunt event, accompanied by an official plot teaser on its website. It reads:

"As eternal night descends, an overwhelming army of bloodsucking terrors will emerge from the shadows, united by a single vision for the first time in millennia. Can even the heroes of this doomed world stem the tide of blood that is to come? Join the Avengers, Blade, Bloodline, Spider-Man, Hunter’s Moon, Tigra, Doctor Strange, Clea, and more as the dance of death begins."

An earlier quote from writer Jed MacKay suggested that the story connects to the titles he’s currently writing, including Avengers, Vengeance of the Moon Knight, and Doctor Strange:

"We have vampires in our books all the time, there's some bad blood there. What happens if the shoe was on the other foot? We've got the Avengers, Moon Knight's Midnight Mission, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course, Blade, and there's going to be more vampires you can shake a stick at."

Of course, there’s more to the story than meets the eye, including just which vampires the heroes of the Marvel Universe are having to deal with. (Put it this way: Dracula might be a good guy in this particular fight, somehow.) Read a spoiler-filled review of Blood Hunt #1 here to find out some of what shocked fans when it was revealed.

Just don’t ask what’s happened to Spider-Man, though…

What comics are in Blood Hunt?

In addition to the core Blood Hunt title — which is available in a polybagged explicit content edition as well as the regular version, the storyline was also the central story in one of Marvel's 2024 Free Comic Book Day offerings.

Blood Hunt #1
Image credit: Pepe Larraz/Marvel

Beyond that, Marvel released what it's described as “a host of tie-in issues in Marvel’s hottest current series and see the launch of all-new limited series, one-shots, and redefining status quos.” Other series that MacKay is writing, such as Moon Knight, Doctor Strange, and the Avengers tied into the event, along with other popular titles like Miles Morales: Spider-Man.

Here's every Blood Hunt-related comic confirmed by Marvel:

When did Blood Hunt happen?

Blood Hunt launched May 1 and ran through July 31, although Marvel has already revealed that the impacts will be felt after the official end of the event, with the ongoing Miles Morales comic book series being just one of the titles affected by events. Also affected in a major way is the character of Doctor Doom, who will be taking over not just as the Marvel Universe's Sorcerer Supreme, but as its grand overlord.

Is there a Blood Hunt trailer?

There is indeed! Watch it below.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

Graeme McMillan

Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.

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