The MCU's Blade is currently in development, and there are several ways that original Blade actor Wesley Snipes could make an appearance. While the MCU has started to explore its fantasy horror side with projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Werewolf by Night, Blade will reinvent and reintroduce the titular Marvel character that was made famous on-screen in 1998 by Wesley Snipes. No information has been released about Snipes returning in a supporting role or cameo appearance, but the MCU would be wise to acknowledge the movie that started the modern Marvel craze.
Despite being announced several years ago at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, little is known about the plot or actors cast in the MCU's Blade. While Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali has remained tied to the project in the lead role, the movie lost its initial director, Bassam Tariq, and was delayed roughly a year to its new September 6, 2024 release date. Now helmed by Lovecraft Country director Yann Demange, the script is reportedly going through rewrites, so there's an opportunity to remedy previous omissions like a Wesley Snipes appearance.
Wesley Snipes Has Expressed Interest In An MCU Blade Cameo
Wesley Snipes could appear in the MCU's Blade, and doing so would honor the actor's interest in and influence on the superhero genre. Snipes confirmed in an interview with ComicBook.com that he has yet to be contacted about a potential appearance in Blade or any other MCU projects but joked that he's "working on [his] acting skills" in case the opportunity presents itself. Given the poor critical reception to Bade Trinity and the fact that a Blade 4 movie with Snipes never happened, it's understandable that the actor would be interested in making one more appearance (even if as a different character) to end his relationship with the franchise on a better note. Given Blade's important role in establishing the modern superhero film scene, the MCU owes some level of debt to Snipes and the rest of the cast and crew of the first three films.
This isn't the first time Wesley Snipes has spoken up about Mahershala Ali's Blade project. In a 2021 interview with Yahoo!'s Kevin Polowy (via Twitter), Snipes joked about his reaction to the casting, saying, "I don't walk around as Blade, so I'm not attached to the character like that." He went on to express his advice to the new actor, which included the necessity for action stars to attain "elite athlete" level conditioning to avoid injury. While Ali's and Snipes' Blades will surely be different, there's clearly mutual respect between the two.
Why Wesley Snipes Should Appear In The MCU
While Wesley Snipes' three Blade movies are not connected to MCU, they were the first modern Marvel films and were instrumental in paving the way for other serious comic book projects like the X-Men franchise and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. With Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featuring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Patrick Stewart, the time is right to pay the same respect to Wesley Snipes' Blade. Given the focus on variants in the Multiverse Saga, there are several ways that the appearance could make sense narratively.
One option is that Snipes could join other pre-MCU Marvel actors that have returned to the actual characters they previously played, though the possible tonal differences and the scale and focus of the MCU's Blade story may make that challenging. Alternately, and perhaps more likely, Snipes could have a small role as an unrelated character to act as a less intrusive nod to the history and importance of his interpretation. Regardless of how it happens, given Wesley Snipes' interest in appearing in Marvel's Blade, it would be a missed opportunity not to include at least a brief reference to what's come before.