A Kryptonian in the Marvel Universe

Deacon Frost stood triumphant, his long-held plans finally coming to fruition. After years of plotting, he had betrayed the pure-blood vampire elders, killed Gaetano, and captured all twelve remaining elders. The altar was prepared, and Blade—the Daywalker—had been fooled and captured.

Tonight, Deacon would ascend as the Blood God and rule over both vampires and humans.

Blade, weakened and drained of blood, was shackled to the altar by the vampires. A sharp spike pierced his body, and the blood of the Daywalker flowed into the altar, dripping down into the carved symbols that marked the foreheads of the pure-blood vampire elders.

As Blade's blood was offered to the Blood God, the altar thrummed with dark energy, filling the room with a palpable, sinister aura.

The twelve pure-blood elders, chosen as sacrifices, began to convulse violently. Their bodies ruptured grotesquely, and their skeletons tore free from their flesh, hovering in mid-air. The scene was both surreal and terrifying, as the air itself seemed to crackle with malevolent power.

At that moment, the ceiling exploded inward, and a figure in a high-tech suit descended into the room.

The Black Queen, Zod's AI operative, had been tracking Blade's whereabouts. Upon discovering that Blade had fallen into the hands of vampires, she reported directly to Zod, who took no chances. Though he knew that Blade had originally survived this encounter, Zod came prepared—fully armed and with a large supply of anticoagulants, just in case.

The flying skeletons swirled ominously around the altar, but Deacon had not yet completed his transformation into the Blood God. Zod's timely intervention meant that the ritual hadn't yet reached its climax.

Deacon, standing at the center of the altar, sneered as he saw Zod enter. He stepped forward to confront the armored intruder, but before he could act, Zod's eyepieces flared with intense, blazing red light.

Heat Vision.

The searing beams struck Deacon directly, igniting his body in an instant. His screams echoed through the chamber as his flesh burned away, and in moments, he was reduced to nothing but ashes. The hovering skeletons, deprived of their master, paused in mid-air, unsure of their next target. Zod, scanning the scene, quickly dispatched the remaining vampires to prevent any further threats.

But suddenly, the spectral skeletons refocused. Their new target: Blade.

"Wait!" Zod shouted, alarmed.

Golden psychic energy surged from Zod as he projected his mind toward the skeletons, freezing them in place. But even his power couldn't contain all of them. Some managed to break free and entered Blade's body before Zod could stop them.

Blade, who had been on the verge of death just moments ago, slowly rose from the altar. His eyes snapped open, and he floated off the ground, as though gravity had no hold over him.

"What's happening to me?" Blade muttered, confused. He had been drained of blood and left for dead. Now, inexplicably, he felt more powerful than ever before.

Zod cautiously approached. "Are you alright?"

Blade glanced around the room, noticing the ashes of the vampires and the remnants of the ritual. He didn't recognize the man in the armor, but it was clear that Zod had intervened at a crucial moment.

"Who the hell are you?" Blade demanded, warily eyeing the armored figure.

"I'm just a passing superhero. You don't need to remember me," Zod replied coolly. "But I suggest you get yourself checked out. Something about you has changed."

Blade scowled. "I don't need help."

"You don't want to turn into a full vampire, do you?" Zod retorted sharply. "I've got a private facility. We can run some tests and figure out what's going on."

Blade hesitated for a moment but ultimately relented. Zod's armor was imposing, and Blade wasn't in any condition to resist. Reluctantly, he allowed himself to be taken to the facility.

Despite it being the dead of night, Dr. Curt Connors arrived swiftly, summoned by Zod's urgent request. Connors had been promised groundbreaking material for his research, and the possibility of studying Blade's unique physiology was too good to pass up.

Blade's girlfriend, Dr. Karen Jenson, was also brought along, though she was more concerned with Blade's well-being than the circumstances surrounding his capture. It wasn't until they arrived at the cutting-edge labs of Stark Industries that Karen realized just how powerful Zod was. The man who had saved Blade wasn't just anyone—he was tied to one of the world's most influential companies.

Blade submitted to a series of exhaustive tests, though he was far from comfortable with the situation. Dr. Connors worked meticulously, collecting every possible sample, while The Black Queen scanned Blade, gathering immense amounts of data on his physiology.

Afterward, Zod sent Blade home, instructing him to return in a few days for the results.

Dr. Connors, meanwhile, became deeply engrossed in his research. Zod, though less concerned, kept a close eye on the progress through the Black Queen's continuous monitoring. The initial scans showed that Blade's cells were now abnormally active, with an accelerated metabolism. His body was healing at an extraordinary rate, and his cells seemed capable of infinite division, hinting at a form of immortality.

Genetically, Blade was now only 10% different from a human, the difference likely being his vampire genes. However, compared to captured vampires, Blade's genetic structure was far superior, containing additional elements that made him a far more powerful hybrid.

"Boss, we've synthesized the serum!" Dr. Connors exclaimed, exhilarated by the results. Blade's genetic makeup had unlocked the potential to cure diseases that had plagued humanity for millennia. Connors was desperate to continue studying Blade.

"Run the experiments, Doctor," Zod cautioned. "But remember, we need to monitor the subjects in isolation. We don't know if the serum will have unforeseen consequences."

Connors nodded, though his enthusiasm was barely contained. Using convicted criminals as test subjects, they planned to inject them with deadly diseases and then administer the serum to observe its effects.

Zod had set the observation period at one year to be thorough. There was no telling what long-term effects might arise, and he knew that caution was paramount.