CILLA
Real Name: Cilla
Identity/Class: Human vampire (Tryk)
Occupation: Queen of a Tryk colony
Group Membership: Her Tryk colony
Affiliations: Rosa Belinski, Blade (both tricked into helping her), Rowkis, other Tryks
Enemies: Blade, the Seven, other vampires
Known Relatives: unnamed mother
Aliases: Queen Cilla, Susan Vendermeer
Base of Operations: Her lair in NYC's sewer system
First Appearance: (as Susan) Blade II#1 (May, 2002), (as Cilla) Blade II#2 (June, 2002)
Powers/Abilities: As a female Tryk she was born into royalty as all Tryk females became queens of their own colony. She had the normal abilities and weaknesses of a female Tryk. (see Tryks profile)
History:
(Blade II#4 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Rowkis became Cilla's lover, but she didn't make him her king because she had learned from an old prophecy that the child of a Tryk Queen and a Daywalker would become Zukajaa, the ruler of the world.
(Blade II#1 (fb) - BTS) - Cilla transformed into a human and started a life as Susan Vandermeer until she was ready to start the next phase of her plan.
(Blade II#1) - One night Susan's car suddenly broke down and she couldn't call for help because her cell phone didn't work either. Four vampires arrived on the scene and she ran away from them, but went after her and she got cornered in an alley, but before they could harm her the vampires were killed by Rowkis, who left after cleaning his spike with Susan's handkerchief.
Blade's ally Rosa Belinski learned of the incident and gave Blade Susan's address. The next day when Susan got home to her apartment Blade was already waiting there. She told him everything about the attack and that she didn't go to the police because they wouldn't have believed her anyway. Blade explained to her that it was probably a planned high-tech ambush by the vampires, but couldn't tell her who the other thing (Rowkis) was that didn't kill her. After everything important was said Susan tried to get closer to Blade, but he left because he felt attracted to her (he was afraid of another relationship after what had happened to Yathalea)
(Blade II#1 - BTS) - At some point Cilla assigned Rowkis to the task to protect Blade.
(Blade IV#2) - Back in her lair Cilla got the opportunity to kill a vampire when her guards found one at their lair's entrance. She sliced open the vampire's throat with her wing's claw. Afterwards she told the guards to remove the vampire's fangs for her collection and to bring him to the Waters of Luthuk. When they were gone she asked Rowkis if Blade was okay after the nightclub incident. Rowkis envied Blade because he would become Cilla's king and she had to explain him again that she needed Blade for her plan to ensure a better future for the Tryks. She assured Rowkis that Blade was history after he had become her king.
As Susan she went to Fofo's shop to buy a gun and "coincidentally" met Blade. The vampire hunter brought her down to Fofo's shooting range to teach her how to shoot, but he couldn't hide his affection for Susan which embarrassed him. Susan didn't mind and invited Blade for the next evening to dinner at O'Keefee's Cafe at 5:00.
(Blade II#3) - Susan had dinner with Blade like planned and they came to talk about Blade's origin and vampiric powers (see comments). All revelations didn't turn Susan away and Blade accompanied her home after dinner. When she told him that she was 29 he told her the story of Yathalea's death because she was 29 too when she died. At her place Susan asked Blade to come up to her apartment, but Rosa called Blade and he had to leave.
(Blade II#4 - BTS) - Blade had a dream in which Susan was with him at Yathalea's grave. A skeleton pulled her into the ground while she told him that a relationship between them could never work because he was not 100% human.
(Blade II#4) - In her lair Cilla bathed in the Waters of Luthuk. After leaving the water she dressed herself, put on her wings and talked to a painting of her mother about the prophecy of Zukajaa. Seconds later a guard knocked at her door and told her that Rowkis demanded to see her. She immediately asked him about Blade's condition and didn't like Rowkis tone when he told her that Blade was beaten up, but still alive. Again she explained to Rowkis that he served the colony better by not becoming its king and that Blade would die on their wedding night. Rowkis then showed Cilla the sign of the Seven on Kwate's belly and she was surprised that her races' ancient enemy still existed. She ordered Rowkis to bring Kwate and Couleur to the Waters of Luthuk to dampen their spirits.
(Blade II#5 (fb) - BTS) - Cilla returned as Susan to her apartment to start the last stage of her plan. Rosa and Cesar Belinski called her to make sure that she was okay.
(Blade IV#5) - Susan staged her own kidnapping with Rowkis help and called Blade while it happened to ensure that he knew about it. One of Susan's neighbours showed Blade where Rowkis took her and he went through a hole into the sewer system. Blade found her in the Tryk lair lying naked on a bed and carried her because he thought she was drugged. Susan directed him to the Waters of Luthuk and asked him to save Kwate and Couleur, but Blade believed the waters would turn him into a human (a story made up by Tomothy of the Seven). Susan begged Blade to save the two men and together with him she entered the Waters of Luthuk to make an impregnation possible. Susan surprised Blade with knowledge about the Waters of Luthuk, but it didn't matter anymore after the bath. Blade mated with Susan lost his sword. Rowkis took the sword, mocked Blade and after the short act was over Susan turned into Cilla. Now Blade learned that he was played by Cilla all along because she wanted to become pregnant from him. Cilla attacked Blade because it was common for a Tryk Queen to eat her husband and Rowkis tried to help her. Accidentally Rowkis cut off the tip of Cilla's left wing and he had to bring her to safety. Cilla fled through the lair's remote hatch to the outside and flew away.
Comments: Created by Christopher Hinz (writer) & Steve Pugh (artist).
Blade II was the title published under the MAX imprint. So, don't buy it for your kids.
Unfortunately the best full body shots of Cilla couldn't be used in this profile because she was hardly dressed or not dressed at all.
Blade's origin in the MAX title was very similar to the movie version including his need for blood, but a few differences were still there. In the MAX title he was born on October 24, 1929 (yep, Black Thursday) and was therefore 72 years old. This alone would've been reason enough for me to kick this title out of continuity, but it was officially included as canon via Marvel Knights OHotMU and Encylopedia. Maybe Blade just lied to hide the true reason for his vampire powers (Morbius bit him).
Everything above works fine in continuity now due to Marc Guggenheim's Blade title.
In Captain America: Unforgiven#1 (June, 2023) a Tryk queen was seen battling Captain America during his quest to save the Forgiven's Ghost Blade from a Tryk hive, but it is unknown if it was Cilla. The Tryk queen seen did wear a very similar crown to the one worn by Cilla, which could mean something, but maybe all Tryk queen crowns just look like that.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Cilla has no known connections to
Cilla's mother was the queen of a clan like Cilla was.
In Blade II#2 a similar painting was seen in Tomothy's mansion, but it wasn't revealed if the Tryk Queen on this painting was also Cilla's mother.
--Blade II#4 (on painting)
images: (without ads)
Blade II#4, p16, pan1 (main image)
Blade II#2, p13, pan3 (head shot)
Blade II#1, p1, pan5 (as Susan)
Blade II#4, p15, pan3 (unattached wings)
Blade II#4, p15, pan4 (Cilla's mother)
Appearances:
Blade II#1-5 (May-September, 2002) - Chrisopher Hinz (writer), Steve
Pugh (artist), Bronwyn Taggart (editor)
First Posted: 06/09/2006
Last updated: 08/20/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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