Mahershala Ali is one of the most acclaimed and beloved actors of his generation, which made his Marvel Cinematic Universe casting incredibly exciting, and new fan art finally gives us an idea of what he could look like as Blade. Two-time Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) was announced to be cast as Eric Brooks’ Blade back in 2019, but the MCU’s solo Blade reboot has been through a very difficult production. Two directors and a handful of writers have joined and departed Marvel Studios’ Blade movie, delaying Ali’s debut in the MCU indefinitely.
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Ali had a voice cameo as Blade in Eternals’ post-credits scene in 2021, in which he questioned whether Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) is ready to wield the Ebony Blade, but we didn’t actually see him on-screen. Wesley Snipes reprised his classic Blade role in Deadpool & Wolverine, and Ali’s likeness was used for Blade Knight in Marvel Zombies, but we still haven’t seen Mahershala Ali himself suit up as Blade in live-action. New fan art shared by @70.6ix on Instagram makes us even more excited to see Ali as the Daywalker, and proves he is the perfect man for the job.
We Can’t Wait for Blade to Finally Debut in the Live-Action MCU
Mahershala Ali has never been afraid to join fantastical sci-fi projects or those in major franchises, and has thrown himself completely into a wide variety of roles. His performances in the Hunger Games franchise, Alphas, Predators, Alita: Battle Angel, the Spider-Verse animated movies, True Detective, Invincible, and more make us sure he’ll excel as Blade in the MCU — if he ever actually appears on-screen. Blade’s official debut will change the status quo of the MCU, and we finally caught a glimpse of this in Marvel Studios’ most recent animated series.
Todd Williams (The Chicago Code, Teen Wolf) voiced Eric Brooks in Marvel Zombies, though Ali’s likeness was used for the character — a variant who is the host of Khonshu instead of Marc Spector. While the MCU’s live-action Blade will, of course, be quite different, Marvel Zombies gave us an idea of how skilled, steadfast, and powerful Ali’s version of the character will be. Blade Knight taking down the zombified Ghost proved his ability perfectly, and we’d love to see this replicated in the MCU proper.
We still don’t know when the Blade reboot will release, but it will likely be as part of the MCU’s Phase 7. Mahershala Ali is still attached to portray Blade, as is horror movie icon Mia Goth, and Marvel boss Kevin Feige has promised the project is now moving in the right direction. The hunt is on for a third (and hopefully final) director, and the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Fede Álvarez, Jordan Peele, Chad Stahelski, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler have all been rumored. We don’t mind the delay as long as Marvel gets Blade right, but we can’t wait to see Mahershala Ali finally bring the legendary vampire hunter to life in the MCU.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
