According to a new rumor, Kit Harington's Black Knight is no longer involved with Marvel Studios Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali.
Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame made his MCU debut as Dane Whitman in 2021's Eternals. But even though his role was minimal, the film's second post-credits scene centered on Harington's character and the Ebony Blade, setting up his Marvel future as the Black Knight.
However, this post-credits stinger wasn't Harington's alone, as Mahershala Ali provided a voice-over cameo as Blade, warning Whitman about the weapon.
While this moment suggested Harington's character involvement with Ali's upcoming Blade reboot, a new rumor suggests changes have been made.
Marvel "Cut Out" Kit Harington's Role in Blade?
On John Rocha's The Hot Mic podcast, insider Jeff Sneider had good news and bad news to share with MCU fans.
According to Sneider, "things have gotten a little bit better" with Mahershala Ali's Blade in the wake of Marvel Studios delaying the film, bringing on a new director, and retooling the script:
"Someone reached out to say that with 'Blade,' things have gotten a little bit better. Things have shaped up, the script is leaner and meaner and they cut out the fat, but the script I heard about was like 87 pages, like there wasn't enough and they'd shaved it to the bone:"
Unfortunately, "the fat" involved Blade's Eternals connections and "Kit Harington's Black Knight:"
"What they'd cut out I heard is that 'Blade' was gonna tie-in with 'Eternals' and Kit Harrington's Black Knight."
Sneider went on to explain that the Black Knight is "not really involved in the 'Blade' thing anymore:"
"Black Knight's not really involved in the 'Blade' thing anymore. They may be recasting a few parts including maybe the daughter, was there like a 14-year-old girl? They may recast that."
Is No Black Night the Best for Blade?
While learning of changes made to Blade's script is anything but surprising, removing Dane Whitman's Black Knight certainly is.
Not only did Mahershala Ali make his MCU debut by addressing Dane Whitman, but Eternals VFX Supervisor Stephan Ceretti previously confirmed that Ebony Blade would have a role in Blade.
However, while possibly ignoring the Eternals post-credits scene is bad news for the overarching MCU and its connections, it may be the best move for the 2024 film itself.
Due to Blade's various problems, keeping the focus on Ali's vampire hunter as opposed to other MCU characters and their stories will result in a better movie overall.
There's also the possibility that this decision stemmed from Ali himself who, according to Jeff Sneider in a previous report, demands "script changes all the time."
If so, the question now is where this leaves Dane Whitman's Black Knight and when he will finally continue his own MCU story.
Blade arrives in theaters on September 6, 2024.
