The Blade franchise’s original screenwriter David S. Goyer is sharing his own confusion about the struggles of bringing the Daywalker into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Goyer expressed his incredulity at the Blade reboot’s struggles, stating “I think Blade is a relatively simple story, it’s not complicated”. Goyer then added “The promise of Blade is that it should have insane a– kicking, it should be pretty scary, might be R-rated, and it should not be complicated”.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz suggested that Wesley Snipes’ surprise Blade comeback in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine might have added to the struggles of bringing the Mahershala Ali-led Blade to life might have complicated the matter even further in sparked renewed interest in Wesley Snipes’ version of Blade. While commended Snipes’ return, stating “I thought that was cool too”, Goyer also added “It’s confusing if you’re trying to do another one” and that “It may have been acknowledgment that we can’t crack it”. At any rate, Goyer is hardly alone in his perplexity at seeing Blade’s MCU debut stuck in development hell.
Marvel’s Blade movie was first announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, with Mahershala Ali coming on stage alongside Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to announce the project. Since then, Ali’s Blade has only made a single off-camera appearance in the MCU, specifically in the end-credits scene of 2021’s Eternals in which Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) holds the mythical Ebony Blade, with the voice of Ali’s Blade asking “Sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” Otherwise, the MCU’s Blade has gone through a constant series of false starts and delays, with numerous writers and directors coming and going and Blade eventually being removed from Marvel’s release calendar altogether, though per Kevin Feige, Ali reportedly still remains attached to the project.
RELATED: Blade: Wesley Snipes Addresses Marvel Studios Behind-the-Scenes Issues
The Daywalker first made it to the big-screen in 1998’s sleeper hit Blade, adapting Marvel’s obscure vampire hunter in the form of a Hong Kong-style action movie. Directed by Stephen Norrington and penned by David S. Goyer, Blade was the first box office success based on a Marvel Comics property, with Wesley Snipes performance making Blade an overnight icon. Snipes returned as Blade in Guillermo del Toro’s 2002 sequel Blade II, also written by Goyer, which became an even bigger hit, though 2004’s Blade: Trinity, which Goyer wrote and directed, went through infamous production difficulties and was by far the worst received of the original Blade trilogy.
20 years later and amid the Blade reboot’s behind-the-scenes struggles, Wesley Snipes took up his sword again (even to Snipes’ own surprise) in the multiverse-based story of Deadpool & Wolverine. Alongside other pre-MCU heroes like Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Dafne Keen’s X-23, and even Channing Tatum’s never-realized Gambit, Snipes’ Blade was one of numerous heroes dropped into a wasteland known as “The Void” by the Time Variana Authority, who had elected to “prune” each of their universes from the multiverse. Snipes’ Deadpool & Wolverine appearance did indeed seem to poke some fun at the MCU’s Blade’s struggles. Specifically, when Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool mentions how many variations of the Punisher there are in the multiverse, Snipes’ Blade responds “There’s only ever been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade”, with Deadpool then smugly looking directly into the camera without a word.
Given Marvel Studios’ tremendously successful history, it is indeed supremely baffling that Blade of all characters has been the project to experience such extraordinary difficulty in getting off the ground, especially with the first two Blade movies providing such great examples. Goyer might also be correct that Snipes’ return as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine might have made this issue even trickier to resolve than it has been, considering how well-received Snipes’ return to the role was (with Ryan Reynolds even calling for Snipes to get a Blade send-off movie). Nonetheless, the multiverse presents limitless possibilities for comic book storytelling, and hopefully, Marvel Studios will soon be able to find the right doorway in the multiverse to bring Mahershala Ali’s Blade into the MCU at last.
The Blade movies are available to rent on Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV, and Deadpool & Wolverine is available to stream on Disney+.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Warner
