Not long ago, it was announced that Marvel’s revamp (har har) of Blade over at their comics division, titled “Blade the Hunter”, would feature the famed slayer’s daughter, Fallon Gray, as the lead. Later on, it was made known that the launch of the series had been delayed. Now, according to Bleeding Cool, it seems that there was a rather large reason for the delay: Marvel Studios wants Blade back on the big screen. Why would or should that interfere with the new comics run? Because they want the film to follow a similar path.
Mind you nothing has been confirmed and this is only a rumor for now, but it is certainly one that is both tantalizing and believable. After all, as with The Punisher and Daredevil, the film rights to Blade reverted back to Marvel fairly recently. We also know that, at least according to the actor himself, Marvel has had a few discussions with Wesley Snipes about potentially reprising the character he made famous starting in 1998. Could we be looking at the introduction of Old Blade and his young daughter Fallon into the Marvel Cinematic Universe somewhere in Phase IV? Or does Netflix seem a likelier place for the pair?
On the one had, Marvel TV does supposedly hold the rights to other supernatural characters, such as Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and The Living Mummy. Rumor has it that they might also hold Ghost Rider as well. Some fans, myself included, have dreamt of the possibility of a horror phase in Marvel’s future Netflix plans. Once reality sets in, however, it becomes clear that…Moon Knight aside…most of those characters would require a hefty budget to work in series form, even when the episode order is only around a dozen. Logic dictates that Moon Knight and/or Blade could easily have their own Netflix shows, with the rest of the above-mentioned heroic beasties (and similar characters) being made occasional guest stars across all Marvel Netflix shows. So yes, at Netflix series for Blade is certainly a possibility, though it wouldn’t be his first TV show.
On the other hand, if you are going to bring Snipes back and grandfather his Blade trilogy into the MCU, why go small? Why not go all out and return him to the big screen? Let him meet a new wave of supernatural foes head on after the Mad Titan attempts to conqueror the Earth in Infinity War Parts I&II. Let that catastrophic planet-wide event be the thing that awakens the creatures of the night from their slumber, bringing about the need for Blade to return to his slaying life and bring his hotshot daughter along for the ride. Perhaps Dracula himself returns, though preferably not the Dominic Purcell version from David Goyer’s disappointing Blade: Trinity. The Dracula of the comics is one of Marvel’s greatest megalomaniacal supervillains and he’s begging to be reinvented in such a way in the MCU.
Regardless of the direction taken, assuming this is true, one thing is abundantly clear: whenever this project happens, it not only brings new characters to the MCU, but also old ones as well. The universe’s start date will be retroactively rolled back to 1998 and we will have a trio of older, R-rated titles to add to the official canon. With that in mind, if it is to be a film, perhaps Marvel should consider enlisting the services of Stephen Norrington or Guillermo del Toro for the gig? If anyone can move the character into the MCU, while also retaining a proper “Tomb of Dracula” feel, it’s either of those gentlemen.
I actually hope that it is a film. Let them bring Blade back in a big way with a grand Lone Wolf & Cub-esque horror adventure, with Snipes as the grizzled warrior/mentor and a wonderful African-American actress as his protege. Give us a Phase IV that not only holds Inhumans and further entries for Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Captain Marvel, but also a new superhero who is both female and a person of color. Diversity is sorely lacking in the MCU when it comes to prominent roles and this is a wonderful way to help change that.
FYI, this would also mean that Ryan Reynolds somehow magically found his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is there any comic book movie barrier that he cannot cross?
