The MCU's Blade Problems Have Been Going On For TEN Years

As absurd as it sounds, Marvel's problems with Blade have been going on for a decade. Starring Mahershala Ali as the newest incarnation of the vampire hunter, Blade is one of the most eagerly-anticipated upcoming movies in the MCU. Unfortunately, it's just been pushed back once again after losing its director, Bassam Tariq. Blade has now been pushed back to 2024; Ali is still on board, thankfully, and indeed there have been reports the latest production delays are incorporating rewrites he's requested himself.

It's quite staggering to realize Marvel has been sitting on the Blade franchise for a full decade. The studio regained the license to Blade (along with some other supernatural characters) back in 2012. There was an initial burst of excitement among fans, who hoped Blade would enter the MCU in short order. Instead, over a decade later, the most audiences have been treated to was a voice-only cameo in The Eternals' post-credit scene. Oddly enough, this has coincided with a period where Marvel Comics too has struggled to know what to do with Blade. Marvel came up with the idea of giving Blade a daughter and a bloodline back in 2015, but the idea never made it to print and is only now happening seven years later. Blade really shouldn't be so hard to get right.

Marvel Turned Down A Blade/Underworld Crossover

"They're doing something with Blade." Those words, spoken by Underworld star Kate Beckinsale at New York Comic-Con 2016, seemed to tease an impending Blade project. During one panel, a fan asked about the possibility of a crossover between Blade and Underworld, and she revealed the idea was actually considered, but it was shelved by Marvel because the studio apparently had other ideas. It didn't take long for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to insist no Blade film was imminent. The implication seemed to be that, remarkably, Marvel Studios had reacquired the rights to Blade back in 2012 and had simply sat on them, turning down other opportunities for the vampire hunter simply because they wouldn't have been part of the MCU. It was a disappointing reminder that Marvel possesses the rights to a vast number of characters and concepts, and only so many of them can be developed at once. (Beckinsale, for her part, remains keen on the idea of a Blade/Underworld crossover to this day.)

Wesley Snipes Revealed Two Blade Projects Were In Discussion

The next news came in 2018, the twenty-year anniversary of the first (non-MCU) Blade trilogy film. Star Wesley Snipes was interviewed as part of these celebrations, and he revealed his agents had been in discussions with Marvel Studios for years. According to Snipes, Blade's MCU future was actively being discussed by Marvel bosses, and there was even a chance he'd be reprising his role. "We’ve created two projects that fit perfectly into this world," Snipes revealed, "and, when people see them, I think they’re only going to have a problem with deciding which one they love the most." As far as Snipes was concerned, the ball was in Marvel's court. Unfortunately, again, the studio chose not to do anything with either of these concepts.

Mahershala Ali's Blade Setup Seems To Have Changed

Finally, in 2019, Marvel Studios officially announced that Mahershala Ali had been cast as the new Blade. According to Feige, Ali himself initiated the conversations shortly after winning an Academy Award for Green Book. "When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige recalled when discussing casting Mahershala Ali as Blade. Later, in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige suggested he believed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would serve as the perfect setup for a new iteration of the vampire hunter. There's some evidence Scott Derrickson's version of Doctor Strange 2 would have been focused on multiversal monsters, unlocking a supernatural corner of the MCU rather than focusing on variants of Stephen Strange himself. Ultimately, Marvel pivoted away from this idea and any Blade setup in Doctor Strange 2 was ditched.

Instead, Ali's Blade was unexpectedly set up in Eternals' post-credits scene. Ali's voice was heard cautioning Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman against claiming the Ebony Blade, and Marvel insiders have indicated they are tying Blade and vampires to the Ebony Blade itself. Frustratingly, there's no indication where this particular plot thread will be developed either; there have been reports the script of Blade explores the character's history in the MCU rather than focusing on his present status, which means it's unclear whether Dane Whitman will even appear in the movie.

The MCU's Blade Has Been Continually Pushed Back

Ali was officially cast in 2019, but even then Marvel did not announce a date for the Blade film. To be fair to Marvel, the studio's plans were severely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic; therefore, it wasn't until San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that the studio was ready to schedule it for November 3, 2023. It soon became clear Marvel would not make this release date, however, with production pushed back time and time again. This ultimately led Bassam Tariq to leave Blade, and nobody was surprised when the film was pushed back to September 6, 2024. It remains to be seen whether this will actually happen. Marvel's Blade problems have lasted a decade, and they could yet continue, particularly given Tariq's replacement has yet to be announced. It really is quite astounding to consider that Marvel has been "doing something with Blade" for so long, and yet nothing has really come of it.

Next: Everything We Know So Far About MCU Blade