Marvel Studios' Eternals is now nearly a month into its theatrical run worldwide, already having sufficiently blown the MCU wide open with more than a dozen new heroes and exciting storylines. This even came in the film's final moments as the second post-credits scene teased Kit Harington's rise to Black Knight status while giving MCU fans the first hint of Mahershala Ali's Blade.
While Blade still doesn't have a release date or even an official production schedule as things currently stand, the project is one that's made headlines ever since it came as the curtain-call announcement at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. This movie will reboot one of Marvel's first true big-screen successes after Wesley Snipes introduced the vampire-hunter in 1998 which will add a new layer of thrills to the MCU through Ali's portrayal.
Of course, fans didn't find out about Ali's Eternals cameo until shortly after the movie debuted because it only featured his voice rather than an actual on-screen appearance.
As it turns out, this was something that came as quite a challenge for the two-time Academy Award-winning actor.
Blade Actor Lost Sleep Over Eternals Cameo
In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, MCU Blade actor Mahershala Ali admitted that he lost sleep over his voiceover role in the post-credits scene of Marvel Studios' Eternals.
Ali mentioned that this was the first time he'd ever had a role in a movie where he wasn't on set for filming, where he usually doesn't like how he sounds anyway during his early days. Although it was a challenge, he did show gratitude for the experience since it was the first time he felt like his time in the MCU was truly moving forward:
“You lose a lot of sleep over it. Like, I was losing a lot of sleep over this line, because ideally, you want to be talking once you are filming. 100% of the time, my first day on any set, on any job, I hate it, I hate how I sound. I don’t believe myself. You’re trying to get comfortable in the character, so to have to talk before you’re even actually filming was challenging. But I’m grateful for it, because it made it feel real, it’s like ‘OK, now we’re going.’”
A Challenge for Ali's MCU Blade Debut
For a character as highly-regarded as Blade, particularly with his MCU debut still on the horizon, Marvel Studios took an unexpected approach with Ali's first time playing the role. Fans have known about his casting for more than two years already, but there were no signs pointing to Eternals being the site of his MCU debut as Marvel's daywalker.
At this point in time, Ali may still be waiting to actually try on his Blade outfit for the first time, yet he's already made his mark on the MCU via a voiceover cameo that wasn't confirmed until a few days after it debuted worldwide. This likely made his Eternals appearance even more challenging since he provided his line from a voiceover booth rather than in front of a camera, although Ali delivered it like a pro.
Seemingly the best part about this cameo for Ali was that his MCU tenure on-screen officially started even though he hasn't appeared as Eric Brooks on the big screen yet. With vampire teases already having been laid out in Phase 4 and hype building for his arrival, it's only a matter of time before Ali's anti-hero comes to life with the classic black coat and swords for Marvel Studios.
Eternals is now playing in theaters worldwide. Blade is rumored to begin production in July 2022.
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