Could MCU's Blade First Look Happen At D23 2022?

There's a huge amount of speculation about what Marvel Studios will reveal at 2022's D23 Expo, with information about Blade being highly anticipated. Mahershala Ali was confirmed to be portraying the character at 2019's San Diego Comic Con, but since then, very little has been revealed about the project, aside from a voice cameo from Ali during the Eternals post-credits scene. With a November 2023 release date set, it's about time Marvel Studios gave their patient fans some more information about the upcoming film.

Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali is no stranger to the world of Marvel, having previously portrayed Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in Marvel Television's Luke Cage Netflix series, but Blade will see his first feature as a main character in the MCU canon. By September 2021, Bassam Tariq was hired to direct the upcoming film, with filming set to take place in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Morocco in October 2022. The Ebony Blade, first seen in the possession of Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman at the close of Eternals, will also feature in Blade, suggesting that Harrington himself will have a part to play in the film, though this hasn't been confirmed.

Since the start of production on Blade is so imminent, it stands to reason that more information about the project will be revealed during September's D23 Expo. Ali's brief voice cameo in Eternals came as a shock to audiences and suggested that the character's true introduction to the MCU was on the horizon. Audiences could potentially be given a first look at Blade during the upcoming Halloween special, based on the Marvel Comics character Werewolf by Night, but even if this isn't the case, the eponymous film is only a year away, so Marvel Studios must reveal more about the project soon, which would make a D23 Expo 2022 Blade reveal a wise decision.

What MCU's Blade Could Look Like

Eric Cross Brooks, a.k.a. Blade first appeared in Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula storyline in 1973 with a mission to rid the world of vampires, with the character quickly becoming a fan favorite and bringing some of the darkest stories to the comics. In order for the character to blend into the already established world of the MCU, the upcoming Blade project will need to differentiate itself from the previous Blade film series, starring Wesley Snipes in the titular role. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved that Marvel Studios aren't scared to delve into the horror genre, meaning Blade could be as dark and gritty as the character requires while still suiting the MCU's family-friendly nature.

Delroy Lindo, Aaron Pierre, and Milan Ray have been confirmed to be playing undisclosed characters in the MCU Blade movie, though Lindo has been rumored to be taking on the role of Jamal Afari, the man who raised Brooks and taught him about vampire hunting. This rumored casting suggests that the MCU Blade movie will avoid giving audiences an origin story for the character, instead picking up well into Brooks' career as a hunter, though still taking advice from his mentor. It's also been rumored that Pierre could be playing the MCU's Dracula, especially as according to Deadline reports "Feige, Tariq and others took their time finding the right person for [Pierre's] part, meeting dozens of up-and-coming actors for the role, with Pierre becoming the favorite in recent weeks." It's likely that casting decisions will be confirmed, and perhaps even a first look at characters will be revealed, at September's D23 Expo since there are only a few more projects to be released before Blade officially joins the MCU.