Before too long, Mahershala Ali will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Blade. It’s been 15 years since the character has last appeared on the silver screen and now’s as good of a time as ever to introduce the character into Hollywood’s biggest franchise. Better yet, it might be one of the most innovative things Marvel Studios has ever done with the MCU to date. As this shared universe begins to inch towards 25 movies — and will introduce television series into the mix this time next year — there’s still one corner of the Marvel mythos the universe hasn’t tapped into.
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If things are done right, Ali’s Blade will likely travel deep into this incredibly dark and Gothic source material. It’s been said Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be the MCU’s first foray into horror — but Blade could be much more than that. The movie has the opportunity to open a whole new corner of the universe that we haven’t seen since Guardians of the Galaxy and maybe Doctor Strange. With Blade will come the introduction of vampires and other characters ripe for spooky season.
It’s incredibly likely we’ll see the likes of Dracula join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something that could branch off into plenty of other anticipated characters deep from the pages of Marvel’s horror mythos. Think Werewolf By Night or The Living Mummy. What about Man-Thing or Elsa Bloodstone? How about a multiversal crossover with Jared Leto’s Morbius?
Then there’s the potential teamups Blade and other Marvel properties will afford. Right now, we know of Blade and Moon Knight, two projects where the lead characters have been part of the Midnight Sons. Say Doctor Strange 2 introduces characters like Brother Voodoo and Clea — there’s already quite the formidable supernatural team right there. Sure, Marvel films are tonally different already but with Blade, things can certainly go where the MCU has never gone before. At the very least, it might be an opportunity for Marvel to prove to fans just how much the outfit can, and will, push its boundaries.
Blade has yet to set a release date.
Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.
What other characters could you see popping up in the new Blade franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!
