It’s been seven years since Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced a Blade movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and here we are: still no Blade movie. Perhaps no one is taking the Blade-shaped absence in the MCU harder than Feige, who sounds pretty down in the dumps about the whole saga.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Feige addressed one of Marvel’s biggest fumbles, saying he feels “like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala [Ali].” Feige announced Blade back at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 after he enlightened the conventioneers gathered in Hall H about Marvel Studios’ future lineup. At the time, that included Phase 4 fare like Black Widow, Loki, Eternals, and Thor: Love and Thunder. Feige concluded the presentation with a surprise appearance from Ali, who revealed “one more thing”: Blade.
Since then, Blade was teased in an Eternals post-credits scene, and the tortured production went through multiple writers and directors. Marvel Studios eventually pulled the film from its release schedule, and we haven’t had a proper update in years.
Blade ultimately did return to the MCU in 2024 with Deadpool & Wolverine, and Feige says he’s “very excited that we got Wesley [Snipes] back for a time” in that project. But a stand-alone Blade film, at least with Ali in the leading role, seems all but impossible at this stage. There are plenty of rumors being bandied about regarding a Midnight Suns movie that will include Blade, but whatever plans Ali and Feige had seem to have fallen by the wayside.
Ali fans can at least take comfort in knowing that the director originally attached to Blade, Bassam Tariq, did wind up working with Ali on action-packed movie. The duo have a new action thriller called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother coming later this year. In it, Ali plays a devoutly religious hitman on a mission to protect his kids. It looks fantastic.
Perhaps Feige will have more to share on Blade and Blade-adjacent developments in the MCU later this week at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel Studios will have its official SDCC presentation in Hall H on Saturday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. PDT. MFeige will be joined by unannounced special guests “from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a look at what’s next from Marvel Studios.”