| Brother Blood | |
|---|---|
 Brother Blood as depicted inThe New Teen Titans #22 (August 1982). Art byGeorge Pérez. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Sebastian Blood VIII: The New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982) Sebastian Blood IX: Outsiders #6 (January 2004) |
| Created by | Sebastian Blood VIII: Marv Wolfman George Pérez Sebastian Blood IX: Judd Winick ChrisCross |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Sebastian Blood |
| Team affiliations | Both: Church of Blood Sebastian Blood IX: Secret Society of Super Villains |
| Abilities | Sebastian Blood VIII: Hypnosis Sorcery Longevity Immunity toRaven's soul-self Sebastian Blood IX: Vampirism Enhanced strength Adept hand-to-hand combatant |
Sebastian Blood VIII, known by his alias,Brother Blood, is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. He 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.
Brother Blood appears in the 2003Teen Titans animated series and its 2013spin-offTeen Titans Go!, voiced byJohn DiMaggio.Sebastian Blood is a recurring character in thesecond season of theArrowverse seriesArrow, portrayed byKevin Alejandro.Joseph Morgan appears as the character in thefourth season of theHBO Max seriesTitans.
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] Based on Wolfman's interest in occult manipulation from his previous work onMarvel'sTomb of Dracula, Brother Blood's "very dark" storyline received praise from older readers but alienated younger readers of the title.[3]
Wolfman: "When I was at Marvel, I wrote a horror book calledTomb of Dracula ... By its nature,ToD dealt with supreme evil and its control over people, including those in demonic and dark religious cults. I wanted to further explore this concept, this time in the guise of the superhero book, yet I wanted to go just as dark and just as twisted as before."[3]
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. Seven hundred years earlier, a priest in the fictional nation of Zandia named Brother Sebastian killed another priest to gain possession of what he believed to beJesus Christ's prayer shawl. The shawl gave Sebastian invulnerability and reduced his aging, but the priest he killed cursed him to be slain by his son before his hundredth birthday. Upon doing so, his son became the second Brother Blood. He, in turn was killed by his son, and this continued for seven centuries.[1]
The eighth Brother Blood intends to extend theChurch of Blood beyond Zandia and make the organization to be aworld power.[4] The Church of Blood begins operating in America, and the Titans are called to investigate when an ex-girlfriend ofCyborg attempts to escape the cult. Because of the Church of Blood's influence, the Titans find moving against him difficult, especially when public opinion is turned against them by Bethany Snow, a reporter who is also a member of the Church.
Brother Blood brainwashesNightwing and attempts to take control ofRaven's power. Raven defeats Blood and his mind is seemingly destroyed. Blood's wifeMother Mayhem later gives birth to a girl, suggesting the curse to have ended.[5]
Some time later, inOutsiders vol. 3, Brother Blood returns to villainy.[6] Shortly after recreating his cult, he is killed by a young boy, Sebastian, claiming to be the new Brother Blood.[7] This version reappeared inTeen Titans vol. 3.
This teenaged Brother Blood seemingly bases all his decisions on advice from Mother Mayhem, a female cultist who is chosen at random and killed if the advice is not what Blood wants to hear. The Cult of Blood is based on the worship ofTrigon, with Blood intending for his bride to be Trigon's daughterRaven. The Titans are able to save Raven, but the Church of Blood continues.
Brother Blood later appears during the "Infinite Crisis" storyline as a member ofAlexander Luthor Jr.'sSecret Society of Super Villains, where he claims an undeadLilith Clay to be his mother. He also resurrects long-dead Titans membersHawk and Dove,Danny Chase,Kole, andAquagirl to serve him. Blood is stopped byKid Eternity and sent to the eighth level ofHell.[8]
In the aftermath of the "Reign in Hell" miniseries, Blood, now an adult, escapes Hell and battles the Titans atTitans Tower. After drainingRed Devil's powers, Blood realizes that he has tainted himself withNeron's influence and flees. He is later seen approaching an unknown woman, looking to make her his new mother.[9]
In September 2011,The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, the Cult of Blood (once again as Trigon's pawns) makes their debut inPhantom Stranger.[10] Brother Blood himself appears inRavagers.[11] Blood kidnaps the team intending to useBeast Boy's powers in a ritual to access the Red, a cosmic force that connects all animal life.[12] The Ravagers interrupt the ritual asTerra buries Blood alive.[13] Blood survives and returns inAnimal Man, where it is revealed his obsession with the Red came from being their first option for champion beforeBuddy Baker was chosen.[14]
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.[15]
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. InThe New 52 continuity, Blood possesses psionic mind-control abilities.[11]
Brother Blood appears inTeen Titans: The Judas Contract, voiced byGregg Henry.[16] 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.
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