There’s a question of how powerful Blade (Mahershala Ali) will be in comparison to the other MCU heroes featured in Phase 4. The vampire-hunting vigilante will make his MCU debut in an upcoming solo movie, which recently landed a director in Bassam Tariq. A release date hasn’t been set yet, but it’s quite possible that Blade’s first MCU adventure will be told on the big screen in 2023, which is the same year that Marvel is releasing Ant-Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Though not yet officially confirmed to be a part of Marvel’s current Phase 4 plan, Blade aka Eric Brooks is one of several new heroes slated to appear in the MCU within the next few years. Thanks to Marvel’s Disney+ shows, the MCU will actually be utilizing a larger number of characters in Phase 4 than all preceding phases. Many of its Disney+ shows will center on established heroes, but a handful of new ones will be introduced as well, such as Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. The movies will also be doing their fair share of bringing in fresh faces through Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Eternals, and more.

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Of course, some will new MCU powerhouses while others will be more grounded characters who focus their attention on street-level threats. As for where Blade falls on that spectrum, the source material suggests that Mahershala Ali’s Blade will land somewhere in between. As someone trained to take down multiple supernatural beings who possess some degree of strength, Blade is quite clearly a force to be reckoned with. Loki recently implied that the MCU's vampires are formidable adversaries.

However, while it may be that his half-vampire heritage may lend Blade some enhancements of his own, he doesn’t typically have a great deal of raw power. For this reason, Blade would most likely lose fights with Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, most (if not all) of the Eternals, Thor, and Captain Marvel. These are all characters who can be counted as among Marvel’s most powerful heroes. Blade, as ruthless and skilled as he is in batting supernatural threats, doesn’t share that reputation; he just doesn’t have the physical means to compete with the heavyweights of the MCU.

The skills and arsenal of weapons he has at his disposal make him more comparable to characters like Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, and Eternals’ Black Knight. In contrast to the super-powered characters mentioned above, Moon Knight, Black Knight, and Shang-Chi distinguish themselves mostly through their own talents and weapons, and are a bit less reliant on powers. This description also fits Blade, who could be a good, close match for any of the three. Black Knight is arguably the superior swordsman and Shang-Chi is most assuredly the better all-around fighter, but Blade would certainly pose a challenge to them in any case. With his skills, Blade may also be capable of fighting on the same level as some of the stronger characters, with some examples being Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man. So while Blade may not be in the same class as some heroes, he would bring a lot to the table if he were ever to be featured in a team-up movie.

More: The MCU’s Vampires (Origin, Identity & Comics Powers Explained)

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