HENRY SAGE

Real Name: Henry Sage

Identity/Class: Human vampire (18th century to modern era);
    former Austrian citizen

Occupation: Predator; former silversmith

Group Membership: Vampires of Earth

Affiliations: Blood Circle, Dr. Theodore Jackson

Enemies: Blade (Eric Brooks), Dracula, Frank Gannon, Jose Lopez, Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: Lenora Sage (wife (or daughter), deceased/presumably vampirized), Sarah Sage (daughter (or wife), deceased/presumably vampirized), Henry? Sage (son, deceased/presumably vampirized) - see comments

Aliases: John Doe, "Disgusto" (term used by Blade)

Base of Operations: New Orleans, Louisiana;
    formerly Manhattan, New York;
    formerly 18th century Austria

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up II#7 (March, 1998)

Powers/Abilities: Henry Sage had the typical vampire abilities, including enhanced strength (though at one point he pinned down the Class 10 Spider-Man, who could not get free), resistance to conventional injury, and ability to fly and transform into mist (though these latter two were somewhat disrupted by the Sunwalker formula). He required fresh human blood to maintain his existence, and those he fatally drained arose as vampires in 3 days. He originally had the normal vulnerability to sunlight, though the Sunwalker formula rendered him resistant to sunlight; it caused him pain, but did not cause him disintegrate as it would with most vampires. He was presumably vulnerable to religious icons, along with the rest of the standard vampire weaknesses.

Height: Approximately 6'1"
Weight: Approximately 190 lbs.
Eyes: Red (original color unrevealed)
Hair: White

History:
(Marvel Team-Up II#7 (fb)) <1794 AD> - A very successful silversmith, Henry Sage returned home one night to find Dracula draining his wife's blood. Panicking, he ran out of the room and swiftly found his two children had already been drained as well. Dracula then assaulted Henry, draining his blood as well.

(Marvel Team-Up II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Henry Sage revived (presumably 3 days later) as a vampire. Having loved his wife and children more than life itself, Henry retained memories and emotions of his past life, though he also embraced his new vampiric nature, recognizing the truth and power of vampires.

(Marvel Team-Up II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Henry Sage became associated with a vampire coven known as the Blood Circle, whose vampire scientist, Dr. Theodore Jackson, sought a means to eliminate vampire's weakness to sunlight. Jackson experimented on Sage for years, his formula coming very close to success; at times, Sage almost felt human again, rediscovering feelings thought long forgotten.
    Sage allegedly decided he could no longer exist with these feelings in order to draw the attention of the vampire-hunter Blade in hopes that Blade would end his existence.

(Marvel Team-Up II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Learning of the Blood Circle's investigation of the Sunwalker formula, Blade began trailing Henry Sage.

(Marvel Team-Up II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Sage broke into Empire State University's science center.

(Marvel Team-Up II#7) - While Sage was injecting a special compound created by ESU's Professor Gerard Jurwich into his jugular vein, janitor Jose Lopez entered the room, and Sage drained his blood and slew him. Jose's scream upon seeing Sage drew Spider-Man, and Sage attempted to kill him as well, warning of a war against mankind. When Spider-Man evaded him, Sage decided that since he had obtained what he needed, he did not need to stay and battle Spider-Man, so he leapt out a window and attempted to flee. While Blade watched, Spider-Man battled Sage, and ultimately unleashed his full power against Sage upon learning Sage wasn't alive (and thinking about Jose's death). Defeated, Sage was taken to Ryker's Island prison and held in a straight jacket.
    Pained by the sun's light, the awakening Sage was frustrated to find that he could neither fly nor turn into mist. Blade then visited Sage, shoving a wooden knife into his abdomen and threatening to cut out his heart unless he agreed to Blade's demands. Sage acquiesced, and with the aid of Sgt. Frank Gannon and an unidentified prisoner, Blade carted Sage out of the prison then brought him to a beach and staked his ankles and wrists into the sand under the noonday sun. Blade later tied Sage up in the back of a Humvee and brought him to New Orleans. En route, Sage initially threatened and taunted Blade, but after hearing Blade's origins, he sympathized, having lost his family to a vampire, as well.
    Hearing reports of Jose's killer's escape with Blade's aid, Spider-Man tracked them down to New Orleans (because that where Blade was working out of at the time).
    Blade brought Sage to some of his scientist allies, who tested him to determine what the vampires had discovered, so they could put an end to it before a vampire plague erupted. They swiftly determined that he had white blood cells, unlike normal vampires, and they speculated that this is what allowed him to survive sunlight. After hearing Sage's origins and subsequent vampire-superiority tirade, Blade decided to destroy him since they already had his blood to examine.
    Just then, Spider-Man arrived and, mistakenly assuming Blade and Sage were allies, attacked Blade. Upon hearing both Blade and Sage's goals, Spider-Man decided they were both crazy and needed to be turned over to the police; but as Spider-Man argued with Blade, Sage broke free, scaled the wall, and escaped. After Blade convinced Spider-Man of the means he would need to stop Sage, Spider-Man decided to wait for Blade.
    Spider-Man and Blade traveled to a local cemetery, where Sage confronted them, confirming Blade's suspicions regarding the Sunwalker formula. Sage then further confirmed that he could not live with the feelings that bored into his mind and that he had arranged for Blade to destroy him. When Blade seemed hesitant, Sage attacked Spider-Man savagely, threatening to vampirize him as well, and Blade hurled a dagger into Sage's chest, causing him to disintegrate into ashes, which drifted down atop his family's gravestones.
    Blade considered allowing the Blood Circle to continue development of their Sunwalker formula, hoping that all exposed to it would be similarly tormented by emotions from their past lives and would seek their own destruction.

Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman, Thomas Derenick, and Tom Palmer.

    There is no discussion on whether Sage's wife and children turned into vampires, but they were all apparently fatally drained by Dracula, so it would seem most likely that they were vampirized as well. Same holds true for Sage's victim Jose Lopez, too.

    When the vampire Henry Sage visited the graveyard, there were gravestones for Henry Sage, Lenora Sage, and Sarah Sage. Since the Henry Sage, the father, was still up and around, it would make the most sense to me that the Henry Sage on the gravestone was his son. Whether Lenora or Sarah is his wife (the other being his daughter), is similarly unclear. One might guess the children might be side by side, but it also might be that the mother was in the middle, with her children on either side...or that it was actually supposed to be a gravestone for the father, Henry Sage, and the son's gravestone wasn't shown.

    Despite dying in Austria, Sage's family's graves were apparently brought to New Orleans, Louisiana. Perhaps his memories/feelings drove him to have them moved there when he came to the USA.

    The Sunwalker serum developed by the Blood Circle is possibly derived from the "Sunlight serum" sought by the Legion of the Damned, and/or that used by Nazi scientists to enhance Baron Blood (John Falsworth)'s powers; it is uncertain whether the three means are related.

In Blade III#12 a prophecy was fulfilled that brought back all vampires that ever died. This most likely included Sage as well. We'll have to wait if he resurfaces. --Markus Raymond

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Henry Sage has no KNOWN connections to:

• SAGE (   ) - new age guru, friend of Paul Jennings --Man-Thing I#20
• SAGE (Tessa*) - mutant, X-Treme X-Men, former member of Hellfire Club.
      Computer-like mind, perceive full potential of others, mutated Beast into feline form
      BRITTANIA*, Diana Fox, (198)--X-Men II#109
• SAGE of Earth-7484 (                                           ) - Godwulf's Redeemers; wm, possible esp--Captain America I#288
• S.A.G.E. - Scientific Advisory for Gamma Emergencies--Avengers: Initiative#7
• SAGE-WOLF - form taken by KhlΘg, based on tale Keewazi mothers told to children to keep them from going out at night, abducted several Keewazi children who were returned when KhlΘg was banished by Wyatt Wingfoot @ Strange Tales III#1
• SAYGE - personification of truth, advised Sphinx. aka VERITAS--Nova I#6