New reports indicate that Marvel's Moon Knight series will tie in with the upcoming Blade movie. The Marvel Cinematic Universe capped off a huge 21-film saga earlier in the year, with the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame serving to wrap up over a decade's worth of character arcs and stories. The franchise shows no signs of stopping, however, with Marvel's Phase 4 slate and even elements of Phase 5 already unveiled. Alongside the traditional big-screen offerings, the MCU will also branch out into the realm of television via Disney+, starting with the already in production Falcon and Winter Soldier series.

As well as giving established MCU stars a chance to shine as more than supporting characters, the Disney+ shows will also introduce a wave of new heroes. One such hero will be Marc Spector (aka Moon Knight). First debuting on the pages of 1975's Werewolf by Night #32, Moon Knight began life as a secondary villain before quickly being retconned into a hero. Proving immensely popular, Moon Knight has thus far appeared in animation and video games. Fans, however, have longed to see the character realized in live-action. For a time, it was rumored that Moon Knight may join Daredevil and company as part of the Marvel/Netflix shows. Unfortunately, all of Marvel's Netflix shows were ultimately canceled by the streaming service. Thankfully, it was soon after confirmed that, alongside solo outings for She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight would be a part of Phase 4.

Related: What Mahershala Ali Could Look Like As The MCU’s Blade

According to independent reporter Daniel Richtman (as covered by CBR), Moon Knight may connect to the Blade movie - with the latter potentially featuring the two characters crossing paths. Blade was, of course, confirmed for Phase 5 - with Mahershala Ali appearing at San Diego Comic-Con to unveil the news personally and reveal that he will play the titular, day-walking vampire. Of course, this news is strictly a rumor at this point, and Marvel's internal plans for the characters could change in the interim. However, Richtman has demonstrated a reliable track record when it comes to such teases in the past. As such, the rumor can be met with a slightly smaller pinch of salt than usual MCU rumors.

Mahershala Ali as Blade

Developments took a leap forward recently, with Marvel looking for a Jewish-Israeli Zac Efron-type to play Moon Knight. No frontrunners have emerged since that initial announcement, however. Equally, it's unclear how many episodes the series will feature and what story fans of the comic can expect to be adapted. Similarly, there have been no further developments regarding Blade since Ali was officially unveiled - with the film's writer and/or director yet to be confirmed. Given Blade's status as a Phase 5 outing, however, such details may be some way off yet. It was confirmed, however, that Jeremy Slater will serve as Moon Knight's showrunner.

The rumors will be of little surprise to the most passionate fans of the characters, however. Both serve as more street-level heroes with supernatural leanings. As such, Blade and Moon Knight would be a natural, and formidable, team-up. Lending credence to the news is the fact that it was already established that characters from the Disney+ shows would ultimately springboard into big-screen outings. Ms. Marvel is expected to make the transition; likewise, WandaVision will connect with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As such, if the rumors ultimately pan out, the stories Marvel will be telling really will go to new heights. And fans will have even more reason to be excited for the dual releases of Moon Knight and Blade.

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Source: Daniel Richtman (via CBR)

 

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