Marvel Studios is reportedly calling it quits with Blade and plans to replace it with another MCU blockbuster. Marvel Studios had fulfilled all the promises of its Phase 4 slate from San Diego Comic-Con 2019 by the end of 2022, except for one. The event concluded by introducing two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the MCU's Blade and confirming his solo movie is in development. Almost seven years later, Blade has torn through two directors, six writers, and multiple release dates to the point that it has been removed from the Disney calendar altogether.
During a recent edition of The Hot Mic podcast, insider Jeff Sneider confidently declared that "Blade is dead" at Marvel Studios and won't be moving forward. Instead, Mahershala Ali's vampire-hunting hero will be introduced in the Midnight Sons supernatural ensemble flick that has long been rumored to be in the works.
Updates on Blade have been few and far between in recent years, with the supernatural flick reportedly "on pause" as of last summer, despite persisting interest at Marvel Studios that Ali plays the vampire hunter.
Midnight Sons' status is unclear, but Marvel Studios had reportedly hired a new writer by July 2025 to replace Logan and Death on the Nile scribe Michael Green.
Ali's Blade is one of five heroes who have been rumored to lead Midnight Sons, which may now replace his solo outing as his true MCU debut appearance.
Midnight Sons Is the Perfect Solution to Marvel's Blade Problem
Over recent years, fans had begun expressing concerns that a now-51-year-old Ali may be rapidly aging his way out of the Blade. But, in a world where the only one year younger Pedro Pascal just became the MCU's Reed Richards and a key part of the franchise's future, that notion suddenly seems ridiculous.
Arguably, the bigger concern is whether the highly decorated actor will be as eager to co-lead a Midnight Sons ensemble as he was to star in Blade. Then again, if the studio hits the ground running with his debut in a crossover project, it may have an easier time actually getting his solo outing off the ground later.
In a way, Midnight Sons may be a natural progression for Blade after he ominously approached Kit Harington's Dane Whitman in Eternals. The MCU could spin the age-old vampire hunter as a Nick Fury-esque figure to the Midnight Sons, assembling the likes of Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, and Elsa Bloodstone to take on Sacha Baron Cohen's Mephisto after he debuted in Ironheart.
Having supposedly hired a writer for Midnight Sons, Marvel Studios appears eager to find the ensemble a place in the MCU's third saga. The studio has ultimately struggled to maintain its supernatural heroes throughout most of the Multiverse Saga, which could, hopefully, finally change thanks to Midnight Sons.
Read more about why cancelling Blade for Midnight Sons is a smart move.
