At last summer’s Comic-Con, Marvel Studios announced the post-Avengers: Endgame slate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to exciting upcoming films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, the panel brought the announcement that Mahershala Ali had been cast to play Blade in the MCU.
While some Marvel fans felt that original Blade star Wesley Snipes got short-changed by the recasting, two-time Oscar winner Ali playing the iconic vampire hunter is certainly a tantalizing prospect for the MCU’s future. So, here are 10 ways that Mahershala Ali’s Blade could fit into the MCU.
Via The Multiverse
With Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch ripping open the multiverse and exploring parallel dimensions in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the most obvious way to introduce Blade seems to be via an alternate timeline.
He could come from a world where Thanos never existed, but Earth is ravaged by vampires. This would allow him to exist separately from the MCU while still taking place in the same universe.
Recruited By Nick Fury
It’s not exactly clear what Nick Fury is up to now, but the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home seemed to tease that he has big plans. At the moment, he’s on a command ship with some Skrulls, possibly establishing S.W.O.R.D., and after that, he might return to Earth to recruit the next generation of Avengers.
He could recognize vampires as a threat facing the planet, find an ice-cool vampire slayer named Blade who’s been taking care of them, and recruit him to join the team.
A Prequel
The 1990s setting of Captain Marvel opened up the MCU to all kinds of storytelling opportunities. These movies aren’t beholden to setting their stories after Tony Stark became Iron Man and the Avengers Initiative took effect.
Blade could’ve been fighting vampires long before Tony was kidnapped by terrorists, or even before Coulson’s “first rodeo.” The sky’s the limit.
Using Thor: Ragnarok’s Vampire Easter Egg As A Springboard
Since the announcement that Blade will be joining the MCU, some fans have suggested that vampires might be a step too far for a franchise that already has aliens, robots, sorcerers, gods, and zombies (technically).
But those fans forget that the existence of vampires in the MCU has already been teased, as Korg mentioned them in Thor: Ragnarok. This might’ve initially been a way for Taika Waititi to link Ragnarok to What We Do in the Shadows, but it’s a good springboard for the rise of the MCU’s vampire population.
A Different Timeline
In Avengers: Endgame, Earth’s mightiest heroes created a bunch of alternate timelines. There was the timeline where Loki escaped arrest after the Battle of New York by stealing the Space Stone, the timeline where Cap lived a full and happy life with Peggy, the timeline where Thor’s hammer was stolen by a different version of Thor etc.
Vampires could’ve come about in one of these alternate timelines as opposed to the main timeline. It doesn’t necessarily have to be directly linked to the events of Endgame – just blame it on “the butterfly effect.”
The Darker Corners Of The MCU
It’s unclear if the Netflix series are still canon after they all got canceled and Disney+ launched with the promise of MCU shows that will actually tie into the movies. But hopefully, we haven’t seen the last of characters like Daredevil and the Punisher.
This darker corner of the MCU would be the perfect place for Blade. It already has supernatural elements, thanks to the Hand, so bringing in vampires wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
Making Vampires A Side Effect Of The Snaps
On four separate occasions in the MCU’s recent “history,” unprecedented amounts of cosmic energy have rippled across the universe, and three of them took place on Earth, as Thanos snapped his fingers with the might of all six Infinity Stones, and then the Hulk and Iron Man each did the same.
Perhaps a repercussion of the Stones being used in such quick succession could be the rise of the undead and vampires beginning to take over the world.
Introducing The Midnight Sons
The introduction of Blade could lead to a wider introduction of the Midnight Sons. As long as the MCU is adding a darker side to its ensemble with a vampire-slaying badass, he could be joined by teammates like Ghost Rider and Moon Knight.
With Adrian Toomes appearing in Sony’s upcoming Morbius movie, Jared Leto’s bloodsucker might even have a chance of appearing in an MCU incarnation of the Midnight Sons.
The Darkhold Unleashes Vampires
There’s a rumor that the Darkhold, a paranormal book featured in the Marvel universe, will appear in either WandaVision or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, holding the key to Vision’s return from the dead.
Of course, that is just a rumor. But if the Darkhold does make an appearance in the MCU, it could be a good way to introduce vampires into the franchise’s already-jampacked world.
A Mostly Standalone Story
Just because Blade is joining the MCU, it doesn’t mean he has to fight alongside the Avengers and team up with a bunch of fellow heroes. His life of fighting hordes of vampires in an underground supernatural society can exist separately from the rest of the MCU.
There can still be the occasional team-up and Blade can appear in Avengers movies – in fact, that’s the most enticing prospect about his introduction into the MCU – but for his own stories, he can remain in a mostly standalone world.