Mahershala Ali’s Blade Gets an Epic Fan Poster

Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con finally pullback the curtain on Phase 4 of the franchise, revealing brand new projects, sequels, and limited series that already have fans buzzing. But there was one major announcement in particular that was the talk of the convention when the event ended, and everyone is once again buzzing about the vampire hunter Blade.

With the reveal of Mahershala Ali as the newest superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans were stunned by the news. Now they’re already producing fan posters imagining the Academy Award-winner in the role; take a look below!

Of course, Ali has some huge shoes to fill when it comes to playing Blade, as Wesley Snipes put the iconic character on the cultural map with his trilogy of films that helped ignite the superhero drama. He even expressed interest at possibly reprising the role, an idea that many fans supported; but the news of Ali’s casting had him singing a different tune.

“To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx. Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew – always a fan,” Snipes said to ComicBook’s Adam Barnhardt. “Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together. Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, ‘nah fret nah worry, it’s not de end of de story.’ Welcome to the Daywalker Klique.”

Ali himself also paid respect to the original Blade actor, posting an image of Snipes on his social media account with an emoji of a king’s crown.

We’ll still have to wait awhile before we get the rebooted Blade movie in theaters. While it was revealed as part of their showcase of Phase 4 projects, Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige later explained that it would actually be part of Phase 5.

There’s no word yet on when Blade will actually release in theaters, but it is a safe bet that it won’t happen until 2022 at the earliest.