Warning: contains spoilers for Captain Carter #4!

The Marvel Universe is slowly building to a massive vampire-centric event for 2022 and beyond - and only Blade can stop the approaching invasion. Marvel's events are often preceded by plenty of hints ranging from the occasional comment from a side character to clues from over fifteen years ago (similar to the Fantastic Four's Reckoning War). Now in Captain Carter #4, a vampire has taken over the government in a major position of power - and he's not the only one.

Despite the predilection for the Marvel Universe to include all manner of zombies, ghouls, ghosts and other supernatural creatures, vampires aren't nearly as popular as the other aforementioned apparitions. Vampires are most often associated with Blade, the Daywalker and incredibly popular Marvel character who has seen his popularity wane in recent years - but with the reveal of an upcoming Blade film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel is hinting at a massive resurgence for the character. No less than three recent comics have also hinted at Blade's major enemies: the vampires of Earth.

Related: Why The MCU's Blade Movie Is Taking So Long

In Captain Carter #4, written by Jamie McKelvie with art by Marika Cresta, Peggy Carter wakes up in an alternate future in which she is the Captain America variant of Earth; the England she knows has changed drastically. Captain Carter eventually uncovers an assassination plot that leads directly to the Prime Minister of the UK. Peggy confronts the Prime Minister, but his movements are far too quick for her to counter; she is arrested immediately by security guards. "Listen to me! He's not even human anymore! He's a vampire!" cries Carter as the Prime Minister dismisses her pleas. "Everybody knows vampires aren't real," replies the Prime Minister - as he changes his form to that of a vampire.

Captain Carter isn't the only superhero who must contend with vampires in the future. In Immortal X-Men #4, a pointed Daily Bugle headline details a vampire attack in New York City, and the superhero Moon Knight is currently fighting vampires of his own. The Marvel Comics Universe is clearly seeding these vampire mentions to lead the way to a vampire takeover of the Earth (the fact that the Prime Minster is one of them certainly doesn't bode well for the future of the planet).

With the re-emergence of vampires in the Marvel Universe, the vampire hunter Blade cannot be far behind. His skillset includes destroying vampires left and right, and it is a foregone conclusion that he'll appear in a future event. Now that the Reckoning War, Devil's Reign and other 2022 events are over, fans must wait until Marvel confirms their suspicions and releases a Blade-centric event to combat the growing vampiric threat.

Next: Marvel's Greatest Vampire Hunter Isn't Blade, It's an X-Men Hero