Marvel Producers Brad Winderbaum and Bryan Andrews have finally addressed why Mahershala Ali was replaced as Blade for the MCU Phase 6 series, Marvel Zombies. After years of waiting, Ali's take on Blade finally made his first proper on-screen appearance in the R-rated streaming series; however, it was only the actor's likeness that made the final cut. Instead of Ali voicing the character, well-known voice actor Todd Williams stepped in to play the part, leaving droves of MCU fans quite confused.
Luckily, Winderbaum and Andrews stepped in to clarify things. In an interview with POC Culture, the pair of Marvel executives addressed why Ali did not appear as Blade in the recently released Marvel Zombies. The most significant factor, they said, was "timing."
"It was really a timing issue more than anything else," Winderbaum, Marvel's Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, remarked. Andrews, one of the show's creators, added, they "would have loved" to have had Ali on the project:
Q: "Was here ever a chance at all [Mahershala] Ali could have voiced the character here?"
Winderbaum: "I mean, yeah I think it was like a time– it was really a timing issue more than anything else."
Andrews: "We would have loved it."
While Williams may have stepped in to bring Blade to life in the new streaming series, the plan at Marvel Studios is still to have Ali play the character going forward. The Blade film project is still in development under the MCU banner; however, despite being in development for years, no release information for the movie is currently available.
Ali technically made a vocal cameo as the vampire-hunting supe during Eternals' post-credit stinger in 2021, but he has yet to make his proper on-screen debut as the character.
Blade was just one of many heroes that appeared in the Marvel Zombies series. Helping in the fight against the undead, the Zombies' version of Blade possessed the powers of the Egyptian god of Vengeance, Khonshu, making him an amalgam of both the sword-wielding daywalker and Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight.
Marvel Zombies is now available to stream on Disney+. The epic four-part animated series tells the story of a super-powered world ravaged by a zombie virus and its heroes' quest to find a cure for their Earth's undead problem.
When Will Mahershala Ali's Blade Make His MCU Debut?
While Mahershala Ali's likeness has technically made its MCU debut with the epic appearance of Blade Knight, the Oscar-winning actor has yet to appear in front of the camera in an MCU project.
This comes despite Ali originally being announced as the MCU's Blade over six years ago in July of 2019. The wait should not be too much longer, however, as Marvel Studios reportedly remains committed to bringing Ali's take on the character to screen in his own solo film.
The last fans heard about the Blade movie, a premise had finally been settled upon, and script work was actively happening. That is not to say Blade is right around the corner, but it is at least making progress, whereas before development had hit a complete standstill.
There is also always the chance that Ali's take on the iconic comic character pops up in a Marvel project before then. He could join in the fun on one of the upcoming Avengers movies (Doomsday and Secret Wars), or he may get his MCU start as part of the long-rumored Midnight Sons project in the works at Marvel Studios.
Either way, Ali's debut as Blade seems to be coming; it is just a matter of time.
