How Blade Could've Appeared In The MCU Earlier (If Marvel Had Allowed It)
One of Marvel’s earliest successful cinematic superheroes, Blade, could have appeared in the MCU much earlier if Marvel allowed it. Marvel Comics has a fascinating history behind its various film adaptations. In the 90s and early 2000s, most Marvel movies were self-contained and rarely followed their comic source material. Over time, however, the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a dominant force in pop culture, spanning a colossal superhero franchise. A rebooted Blade film series is planned for the MCU, and the hero made a brief, voice-only, cameo in 2021’s Eternals, but Blade had several opportunities to appear in the MCU far earlier.
In the 1990s, Marvel Entertainment sold the film rights of numerous Marvel superheroes to various film studios to avert bankruptcy. This famously included Spider-Man, Marvel’s flagship character, whose film rights were acquired by Sony Pictures. Blade, a mystical superhero and vampire hunter, had his film rights purchased by New Line Cinema, who released his first cinematic outing in 1998. Starring Wesley Snipes, Blade was a commercial success that audiences generally enjoyed (though critics were divided on it), leading to two sequels and a live-action miniseries. Blade, along with Fox’s X-Men films and Sam Raimi’s beloved Spider-Man movies, helped build the modern superhero blockbuster film, proving that superheroes other than Superman and Batman could be the basis of successful movies.
By 2012, however, New Line Cinema had not released any new content for their Blade franchise, and the right reverted to Marvel, whose in-house movie studio, Marvel Studios, had turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe into an overnight success. The Avengers popularized shared universe storytelling (commonplace in Marvel and DC Comics but previously rare in films) and continues to expand, featuring an ever-growing roster of Marvel Comics characters in its superhero pantheon. Naturally, with the film right to Blade back at Marvel Studios, it was only a matter of time before the hero received his MCU reboot. For better or worse, Blade had several opportunities to appear in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, but Marvel Studios has opted to introduce him a bit later in the franchise.
As revealed in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Blade was one of numerous heroes whose rights went back to Marvel in the early 2010s. Along with Daredevil, The Punisher, Luke Cage, and Ghost Rider, Blade was planned to enter the MCU through television rather than film. While Marvel Entertainment’s film division, Marvel Studios, continued to grow the MCU on film, Marvel Entertainment began releasing TV shows set within the same continuity but lacking the oversight of Kevin Feige. The result was a series of successful Netflix shows, such as Daredevil, Luke Cage, and The Punisher, while Ghost Rider appeared in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, an ABC television series.
The MCU’s first TV shows didn’t include Blade, and while they were integrated into the MCU’s continuity, the films and shows rarely coincided with each other too closely. The MCU’s television shows eventually came under Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios’ control, leading to a series of Disney+ shows that were more closely linked to the MCU films. While Blade might have appeared in one of the MCU’s non-Marvel Studios TV shows if they’d lasted a bit longer, he’s now set to debut in a solo film, played by Mahershala Ali (who previously depicted Cornell Stokes in Luke Cage) and having had a cameo in Eternals.
The Phase 3 films and Thor’s third solo outing, Thor: Ragnarok, included a small opportunity for the MCU’s Blade to appear. On the gladiatorial world of Sakaar, Korg jokes about a three-pronged spear being useful against three vampires. While the joke was likely a reference to Ragnarok’s director, Taika Waititi, who directed the 2014 vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows, it also provided the potential for a follow-up joke involving Blade. The hero could have appeared as a gladiator on Sakaar, perhaps fighting a trio of vampires and proving the effectiveness of Korg’s strategy. While perhaps lacking the grandeur that the MCU’s Blade deserves, an early cameo in Ragnarok would have prepared viewers for the hero’s eventual solo film.
Another opportunity for Blade’s MCU debut was in Avengers: Endgame. The film concluded the first three phases of the MCU, now dubbed The Infinity Saga, in epic fashion, bringing nearly every MCU hero together for a grand finale of a battle against the forces of Thanos. While the core Avengers members were the focus of the battle, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Masters of the Mystic Arts, and various unaffiliated heroes were in the crowd opposing Thanos, which could have also included Blade if Marvel Studios wanted. If Blade already appeared in Ragnarok, his participation in the fight against Thanos would have built even more excitement for his eventual solo movie.
Considering Blade’s importance to Marvel’s film history, having such minor roles for him in the MCU’s Phase 3 might have cheated him out of a more exciting and grandiose debut. Ragnarok’s Sakaar sequence kept its focus on Thor and The Hulk, making Blade’s potential appearance too short for the hero. Having Blade appear in Endgame’s finale would have also relegated the hero to a background role, which is unbefitting of the hero, whether or not he’d had a cameo in Ragnarok previously. While Blade’s debut in an uncredited and voice-only cameo could be seen as underwhelming by some, Marvel still made the right choice to wait on introducing him.
With The Infinity Saga concluded, the MCU’s landscape is significantly clearer, allowing for a new wave of heroes to be introduced to the ever-growing franchise. Phase 4 has seen the debut of Shang-Chi and the Eternals, and future properties will see the introductions of Ironheart, Ms. Marvel, and The Fantastic Four, in addition to an upcoming X-Men adaptation. Blade could have easily debuted in the MCU much earlier, but Marvel is giving the hero his due by having his first full appearance be part of the franchise’s new wave of heroes.
Source: Screenrant
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