Before Marvel's Blade movie was canceled, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wanted one specific thing to happen. Blade's story in the MCU has seen nothing but turmoil over the last seven years, as it faced one setback after another following its initial announcement for development at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Now, as it moves further and further into the recesses of MCU history, new information is still coming out on what the studio had in mind for Eric Brooks' big-screen adventure.
Former Blade director Bassam Tariq shared insight into what Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wanted to see in the solo MCU movie. Speaking with The Wrap, he described Feige as someone who is "always pushing things" but noted that they did not have much time to spend together because Feige was so busy overseeing Marvel's entire slate. Even so, he noticed how focused Feige was on the MCU audience and began studying what Feige called "cheer moments."
This led him to better understand that people take time out of their lives to watch movies and how important it is to "honor that time." Bassam also said Marvel has "done a really incredible job" of maintaining an audience, and he wants to learn more about how to do that as he continues in his own career:
"It was really cool to like understand that there are things that, when somebody's taking time out of their life to watch your film, you want to honor that time. And I think that was something that I really felt like, Oh wow, they really care about that. I find that they’ve done a really incredible job of maintaining a core audience. That's something that's really commendable. And that’s something that I want to learn more about and learn to do as I build my own career."
Feige's comments come as no surprise, considering Blade was one of the most anticipated new characters in the MCU for years after Ali was first announced for the role in 2019. Originally given a release date in November 2023, Blade was delayed multiple times over the next few years as the movie went through directors and writers with no progress toward production starting.
By July 2026, Blade was believed to have been canceled for good after reports noted that it had been shelved indefinitely. This was compounded by comments from star Mahershala Ali, who indicated that he was no longer in place to play the role after seven years of waiting for the movie to be made.
Will Blade Ever Happen in the MCU?
Thus far, Mahershala Ali's only experience as Blade in the MCU came in a post-credits scene from 2021's Eternals, where he was set up for an interaction with Kit Harington's Dane Whitman. However, since then, every update on his potential return to the franchise has been a disappointing letdown, with the odds now low that he will ever truly suit up as Marvel's iconic Daywalker.
The only potential saving grace for Blade might be Marvel Studios' upcoming Midnight Sons movie, which is reportedly in development but has not been officially confirmed for release. Considering the darker heroes that are usually associated with this team, Blade would be a natural fit for this unit, but it remains to be seen whether Ali will play the role or if the character will be recast.
Midnight Sons aside, a solo Blade movie seems to be a long shot for development until at least after Avengers: Secret Wars is released in December 2027. However, with nobody attached and no official plans to bring the character into live-action currently, there is little hope to see the half-vampire vampire hunter take his place alongside Marvel's other major heroes.
