See how some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest and newest stars reacted to Mahershala Ali being cast as Blade. Marvel Studios has proven to have an excellent track record when it comes to casting their lead characters. Early breakouts in Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth proved to be great picks, and Marvel's only been able to attract bigger names after. Some of their more recent lead actors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, and Brie Larson - and now Mahershala Ali.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor was the final surprise at Marvel Studios' SDCC panel this year, with Ali revealing he is going to play Blade in the MCU. The news was completely unexpected by fans and resulted in plenty of excitement because of the shock factor. While faithful viewers of the MCU are now anticipating Ali's debut as Blade, they aren't the only ones based on how Ali's MCU co-stars reacted.
Whether it was at the immediate moment when Ali revealed his Blade hat to the SDCC crowd or hours later, several Marvel actors expressed their excitement for what he'll bring to the property. This is the subject of the latest Screen Rant video, featured at the top of this post, which highlights a few of the best reactions that came directly on the stage and in interviews after the fact.
Some of the MCU stars who immediately showed their enthusiasm for Ali getting cast as Blade include MCU veteran Tom Hiddleston and newcomer Brian Tyree Henry. Hiddleston is no stranger to making memorable SDCC moments thanks to his famous Loki monologue, and he was quick to embrace Ali after the announcement was made to welcome him to the family. Henry will debut in the MCU next year in Eternals, and he was clearly happy with this reveal. But, the most joyous of the entire Marvel family may have been Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, who was photographed reveling in the announcement.
One non-MCU star who has also made his support of Ali as Blade known is Wesley Snipes, the man who originally played the daywalker in a trilogy of films that started two decades ago. After being protective of the role for years and even making a cameo as Blade in the What We Do In The Shadows TV show, Snipes made sure fans of his take on Blade knew that he is cool with Ali bringing his own spin to the character all these years later. And who knows, maybe Marvel Studios will even get Snipes involved with Blade in some capacity. All we do know is that there is a lot of excitement over this piece of casting from fans and Marvel stars, and rightfully so.
