Summary
In 2019, Marvel fans worldwide rejoiced at the news that a newBlademovie was on the way. Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali was cast to star as the eponymous vampire-hunting dhampir in a rebootedMarvel Cinematic Universeversion of the franchise, with the film scheduled to be released on July 19, 2025. Countless rumors about its status surfaced in the subsequent months and years, with its fate constantly being suggested as uncertain.
However, as of October 2024, the film appears to have stalled indefinitely and has been removed from the franchise’s release schedule. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige has assured fans Blade will arrive in the MCU at some point, but whether that’s really the case remains to be seen (it’s hard to see where it would possibly fit in the foreseeable future, at least). Now that the dust has settled on the staked project, it’s time to discuss why its current predicament sucks harder than any bloodthirsty creature of the night ever could and why it’s Marvel’s biggest disappointment.
It’s A Waste Of Mahershala Ali
First and foremost, a huge reason why theBlademovie being canned sucks so much is because it’s a waste of such a brilliant actor. While Ali is touted to stick around while the project’s indefinite delay remains in place, there’s always a danger that a commitment to other, more assured work will see him give up on it. Ali’s Best Supporting Actor Oscars for 2017’sMoonlightand 2019’sGreen Bookplace him among the finest performers working in Hollywood today. It’s been intriguing to wonder what his interpretation of Blade would have been like and whether it could have matched or even surpassed that of the inimitable Wesley Snipes (whodidn’t seem too pleased about aBladereboot, incidentally). The fact that the MCU has potentially been denied such a talented star due to the studio’s procrastination is undoubtedly a crying shame and something that fans would love to see rectified in the future.
Another Teaser Has Come To Nothing
Another reason it’s disappointing that there won’t be an MCUBlademovie any time soon is that it means yet another tantalizing teaser in the franchise has likely come to nothing. Inthe post-credits scene of 2021’sEternals, as Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman approached the Ebony Blade intending to wield it and become the mighty Black Knight, an off-screen character’s voice asked him, “Sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” The voice belonged to none other than Mahershala Ali, and the character was Blade. At the time, it was seemingly sure-fire confirmation that a more prominent role for the Daywalker was imminent. To have built the hopes of millions up to that extent, only for the situation to come to a monumental anticlimax, is nothing short of tragic.
Blade Is Integral To Marvel’s Supernatural Side
There’s also the fact that there’s now a mystical and supernatural side to the MCU that will lack one of its most integral characters. The likes of theDoctor Strangemovies, series likeMoon KnightandAgatha All Along, andtheWerewolf by Nighttelevision specialhave opened the door to a corner of the Marvel universe that Blade would fit into perfectly. The fact that there are currently no concrete plans to include such a legendary staple part of it is almost unfathomable.
The Franchise And Character Deserve Better
However, canceling the newBlademovie is most disappointing because it’s a franchise that deserves better. 1998’sBladewas the movie that started the modern-day live-action superhero renaissance. Before New Line Cinema and Marvel Enterprises brought Wesley Snipes’ portrayal of the character to the big screen, critically acclaimed superhero offerings were few and far between, with the last genuinely good ones being Warner Bros’Batman ReturnsandDimension Films’The Crowsix and four years earlier, respectively. Audiences were beginning to stop taking the genre seriously (movies like 1997’sSteelandBatman & Robinmade sure of that).
Bladetriggered an upturn in superhero movie fortunes, with Fox’sX-Menand Sony’sSpider-Manfranchises soon following and the dawn of the MCU arriving not long after them. Recent superhero movies' unprecedented ongoing and regular success would never have happened withoutBlade. Marvel Studios' dithering regarding the character is ironically something he, being a no-nonsense and highly proactive character, absolutely wouldn’t stand for.
Wesley Snipes’ cameo as the character in2024’sDeadpool & Wolverinewas a nice touch, providing a welcome blast of nostalgia for fans of the character. Still, it’s not nearly enough, given what audiences were promised in 2019. Even if that iconic version returns to the MCU, there’s simply no denying that a man in his 60s won’t be able to deliver a performance like the ones he gave a quarter of a century ago. If Marvel Studios wants to do right by its fans and a character who’s an icon of the big screen and their comic books, they’ll reconsider their position on Ali’s version ofBladeand have him arrive soon. The character’s unique brand of cool, calm, and collected badassery is something that’s sorely missing in MCU characters. The inevitable soft reboot of the franchise coming after the likes of2027’sAvengers: Secret Warswill provide them with a perfect opportunity to make things right.
