Sebastian Blood VIII: Hypnosis Sorcery Longevity Immunity toRaven's soul-self
Sebastian Blood IX: Vampirism Enhanced strength Adept hand-to-hand combatant
Brother Blood is the name of twosupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. The first iteration,Sebastian Blood VIII, is a power-hungrypriest and head of the Church of Blood, as well as the eighth person in theDC Universe to assume the mantle, after killing his father and taking the Brother Blood mantle from him. This tradition had gone on for generations, dating back to the 13th century, when the first Brother Blood was born after obtainingJesus of Nazareth's prayer shawl and gaining superhuman abilities. As Brother Blood, Sebastian served as a recurring adversary of theTeen Titans before being killed by his successor,Sebastian Blood IX.
The first Brother Blood, Sebastian Blood VIII, debuted inThe New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982), and was created by writerMarv Wolfman and artistGeorge Pérez.[1] He was a regular foe of the Teen Titans for many years.[2]
The second Brother Blood, Sebastian Blood IX, debuted inOutsiders (vol. 3) #6 (January 2004), and was created by writerJudd Winick and artistChrisCross.
The first Brother Blood encountered by the Titans is the eighth to bear the title. Centuries prior, the first Brother Sebastian obtained a magical shawl that granted him longevity, but the shawl's original owner cursed him and his descendants to be killed by their sons.[1]
The eighth Brother Blood intends to extend theChurch of Blood beyond its home country of Zandia.[3] He battles the Teen Titans beforeRaven defeats him and destroys his mind.[4]
After recovering and returning to his cult, Blood VIII is killed by his young son, who assumes the role.[5][6] He exhibits additionalvampiric abilities and reveals that the Cult of Blood is based on the worship ofTrigon. As a result, he unsuccessfully attempts to marry Raven, Trigon's daughter.
InThe New 52 continuity reboot, Brother Blood is depicted as a former potential champion of the Red, a cosmic force that connects all animal life, who seeks to gain its power.[8][9]
A new incarnation of Brother Blood is introduced inDC Rebirth. This version isSonya Tarinka, a former leader of the Cult of Blood who has a deep connection to the Red and can control the minds of others.[10]
The first Blood is a formidable opponent who is backed by a massive number of fanatical followers. He is an expert manipulator who feeds off of the faith of his members coupled with a capable staff that can see through disguises to detect infiltrators and assist inpublic relations. He ages at a much slower rate than normal humans. Brother Blood is immune to Raven's soul-self due to his shawl's powers. He is also nigh-invulnerable and has supernatural physical strength.
The second Blood's powers work in a manner similar to those of a vampire: he gains strength from blood, and can take on the abilities of anyone whose blood he has sampled. Like the first Blood, he is backed by a massive number of fanatical followers.
Brother Blood appears inTeen Titans (2003), voiced byJohn DiMaggio.[11] This version is acyborg with psychic powers and theheadmaster of theH.I.V.E. Academy. In comparison to the Teen Titans' previous enemySlade, series producer and writerDavid Slack stated that Blood is his opposite, seeking attention rather than hiding from it. Furthermore, he draws inspiration from real-life cult leaders and deviates from his comics counterpart because the original's backstory was difficult to adapt.[12]
Brother Sebastian Blood appears in thesecond season ofArrow, portrayed byKevin Alejandro.[13] This version was born in the crime-infestedStarling City district of the Glades and raised by an abusive, alcoholic father named Sebastian Sangre and a submissive mother named Maya Resik. As of the present, Blood moonlights as a politician and friend ofOliver Queen while working to rebuild the Glades. In secret, he operates as the leader of the Church of Blood, which he inherited from its founderRoger Trigon. Through the cult, he kidnaps criminals and injects them with the Mirakuru serum in an attempt to replicate the process that empowered his ally and secret backerSlade Wilson, with cultistCyrus Gold becoming Blood's first successful test subject. Following the death of his campaign rivalMoira Queen and learning Slade intends to completely destroy Starling City, leaving nothing to rebuild from, Blood attempts to betray him by giving Queen vital information and Mirakuru samples in exchange for leniency, only to be killed by Slade's allyIsabel Rochev.
An original incarnation of Brother Blood namedSebastian Sanger appears in thefourth season ofTitans, portrayed byJoseph Morgan.[14] This version is the son of Trigon andMother Mayhem and half-brother ofRachel Roth who was orphaned by his parents and became aMetropolistaxidermist. After seeing hallucinations of blood and hearing chanting, Sebastian becomes the leader of the Church of Blood to seek Trigon's power for himself.
Brother Blood appears inTeen Titans: The Judas Contract, voiced byGregg Henry.[11] This version is the leader of an unnamed cult that seeks divine dominion over mankind; claims to be centuries-old, attributing his long lifespan to his practice of bathing in his enemies' blood; and is served byMother Mayhem as an aide. He tasksDeathstroke andTerra with kidnapping theTeen Titans so he can use their blood to become a god-like being. However,Nightwing and Terra thwart Blood's plot beforeRaven depowers him and Mayhem kills him to prevent him from being imprisoned.
An original incarnation of Brother Blood appears in theArrow tie-in comicArrow: Season 2.5.[17] Following Sebastian Blood's death, devout theologianClinton Hogue takes up the mantle of Brother Blood and leadership of the Church of Blood. Using his ties to the mercenary group, the Renegades, he takesFelicity Smoak hostage, butOliver Queen saves her whileRoy Harper kicks Hogue out of a window, sending him falling to his death.
TheArrow incarnation of Brother Sebastian Blood appears in the tie-in novelArrow: Vengeance, which explores and expands on his backstory. As a result of his father Sebastian Sangre's abuse, Blood suffered skull-related nightmares. Amidst these, he befriended teenager Cyrus Gold and the latter's mentor Roger Trigon, who killed Sangre after he threatened to kill Blood. Blood's mother Maya Resik was framed for Sangre's death, arrested, and placed in a psychiatric institution while Blood was placed in an orphanage. After creating a skull mask to conquer his fears, Blood formally joined the Church of Blood as Brother Blood, vowing to protect the citizens of Starling City and Zandia no matter the cost. Sometime later, he metSlade Wilson, who offered to help him become mayor of Starling City.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 187.ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
^Rovin, Jeff (1987).The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 42–43.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 56.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^abcd"Brother Blood Voices (Teen Titans)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedApril 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
