How Kris Kristofferson Helped Make Blade A Hit — And Changed Marvel Forever

The world of country music, and movie music, lost a legend on Sept. 29. At the age of 88, singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson has passed away. He’s the kind of singer your parents, grandparents, and fun aunt probably loved. Like a version of Jimmy Buffett who was also a philosopher, Kristofferson’s talent was hard to pin down to one genre. For some he was a country music icon; for others, he was a movie star, specifically in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born (he starred opposite Barbra Streisand).

But there’s still one other great Kristofferson role that can’t be forgotten. For Marvel fans, he was also the co-star of the vampire-superhero Blade films. As Whistler, Kristofferson was like a Jedi vampire master, aiding and advising Wesley Snipes’ titular vampire/vampire hunter. Now is the perfect time to remember that Kristofferson’s role in Blade is just as memorable and important as his music career.

In the first Blade (1998), we’re introduced to the world of daywalkers, vampires like Blade who don’t have to hide at night. After rescuing Dr. Karen Jenson (N’Bushe Wright), Blade reveals his safe house, run by none other than Abraham Whistler. We quickly learn that Whistler trained Blade and makes all of his weapons. Loosely based on Marvel character Jamal Afari (Blade’s mentor in the comics), Whistler was essentially, a new Marvel hero created for the screenplay of the first Blade by David S. Goyer.

Kristofferson’s take on Whistler was so fantastic that the character immediately was retconned into Marvel comic-book canon. Whistler even appeared in a 1995 episode of the animated Spider-Man show three years before Blade’s release. How is that even possible? Writer John Semper Jr. found out about the in-development Goyer script and he rewrote the Blade episode of the Spider-Man show to match the not-yet-released movie.

Throughout all the Blade films, Kristofferson imbues the character of Whistler with a world-weariness that feels earned. Because the Blade films are so outrageous, and Wesley Snipes so intense throughout, Whistler is, arguably, the grounding element that makes you believe this world exists. At this point, we might think of Blade as the old, tired warrior thanks to his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, but in the first film, it was Whistler who was the old soldier, looking after the young guy, who was Blade.

Kristofferson’s warm crustiness was an archetype that we’d seen in action movies before. Goyer described the character as being like an old gunfighter, which checks out when you rewatch the movie and is somewhat appropriate for an aging country singer. Then again, Kristofferson was only 62 when he first played Whistler, which means he was acting a bit older and more worn down than he really was, a true Obi-Wan Kenobi move that makes perfect sense within the context of the movie.

The Blade films might not be the most brilliant or nuanced superhero/vampire films ever created, but Kris Kristofferson’s kindly warrior and father figure to Blade has aged extremely well. And hopefully, if there’s another version of Blade in theaters, the movie will have the good sense to use a Kristofferson song on the soundtrack. “Help Me Make It Through the Night” might be the perfect selection, since vampire hunters and vampires alike don’t care who’s wrong or right.