It's been seven years since Mahershala Ali was announced as the MCU Blade, and five years since the actor's voice cameo as the Daywalker in 2021's Eternals.
Much has been said about plans for the character since then, with it looking increasingly likely that Marvel Studios will pivot from a Blade movie to the vampire hunter taking centre stage in a team-up project like Midnight Sons. However, we may not have to wait that long.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios plans to include Blade in next December's Avengers: Secret Wars. He doesn't specify which version of the anti-hero it will be, meaning there's a chance he's referring to Wesley Snipes' Blade after his memorable cameo in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.
If by some chance it is Snipes' Blade, then we can surely close the door on Ali ever returning to the MCU. Either way, we'd suggest taking this with a pinch of salt, especially as Secret Wars continues to evolve.
Remember, several reliable insiders said Ghost Rider would debut in Avengers: Doomsday, only to since backtrack and report that the Spirit of Vengeance is no longer making his MCU debut in the highly anticipated ensemble. Hopefully, Ali does get his due in Secret Wars.
As noted, it was at 2019's San Diego Comic-Con that Marvel Studios President Feige welcomed Ali to the MCU by announcing a Blade reboot. Three years later, the executive told fans in Hall H that the reboot would arrive in theaters on November 3, 2023. It then moved to September 6, 2024, and eventually slipped further down the calendar to February 14, 2025.
For a time, Blade was eyeing a November 7, 2025, release. For a time, it looked like the movie might meet that date, but it was soon removed from Marvel Studios' schedule altogether and taken back to the drawing board (having been through multiple creative teams).
As a reminder, the past 6+ years have seen both Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange attached to direct before creative differences became a problem. Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Beau DeMayo, Michael Starrbury, Nic Pizzolatto, Michael Green, and Eric Pearson have all also worked on different versions of the script.
"Call Marvel," Ali said while promoting Jurassic World Rebirth last summer. "I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready. I would love for Blade to happen; we’ll see, I don’t know where Marvel is at right now. I’m just looking for the next great part, I really am."
The confirmed cast of Avengers: Secret Wars includes Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Paul Bettany (The Vision), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter).
Also appearing are Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing), and Sadie Sink.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.