If you’re inclined to believe leakers and the rumor mill, a fairly reliable leaker named YrOnlyHope on X/Blue Sky says that he has heard Marvel Studios has quietly shelved the Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. Still, they’re looking at other ways of introducing the character to the MCU. One such method is making him the supporting main character, similar to Namor in Wakanda Forever, which was the character and film specifically mentioned by YrOnlyHope. Given the fact that Blade was announced back in 2019 and has been in start-and-stop production since the first day, this is going to come as a surprise to exactly no one.
Mr. Hope says that the rumors of John Wick director Chad Stahelski taking over are incorrect and that the entire direction of the character has shifted. The movie is now off, but that doesn’t mean there might not be a movie someday. While the film is dead in the water for now, the character will likely be introduced in a Midnight Sons film or Avengers: Secret Wars. The idea is that he will be used like Namor and will bolster or provide the basis for a film under another character or faction’s banner.
I heard some Blade news I trust. File under rumor for now if you want/take it with a grain of salt. I’m ok with that. 🧵
— yronlyhope.bsky.social (@YrOnlyHope) March 28, 2025
I’m going to be honest, I was never sure why they tried to introduce Blade in the Multiverse Saga to begin with, as that’s not his world. Blade has always been focused on vampires taking over the world more than he’s ever concerned himself with villains like Kang or Dr. Doom. There have only been a handful of times Blade has ever participated in major galactic events, and most of the time he was a localized killer, like in War of the Realms, when he went to the Black Bifrost. Blade’s enemies are generally found on Earth. While he’s a perfectly serviceable superhero for any other scenario, it’s not his strength.
I’m not sure where they’re going to put Blade. They already have Avengers: Doomsday, an untitled Spider-Man film, and Avengers: Secret Wars that they’re working on now. Avengers: Doomsday is already in production, meaning it’s already been penned. That machine is already spinning and finding a place for Blade when they have 33 announced characters for Avengers: Doomsday alone, never mind the cast that will appear in the sequel. The problem Marvel has been having is that they’ve been generally fine just trying to “figure it out as they go” with their franchise post Infinity Saga, and the overall quality of the product has tanked as a result.
If Marvel can recapture audiences with Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday, they’re not going to want to lose those audiences by releasing half-baked films with ideas they tried to shove in at the last minute. They’re going to try and keep those viewers coming back as they launch into the Mutant Saga that everyone has been waiting for since they purchased Fox and acquired both the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Blade seems perfect for a Mutant Saga that also introduces vampires at the same time. Whatever Marvel does, they just need to get this character finally introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
