The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a big interconnected machine where every single movie and TV series takes part in the same world and builds towards the same narrative. As such, even the smallest of changes in the upcoming slate of projects could have dire repercussions that would need a lot of workarounds (like that time America Chavez was supposed to introduce Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parkers in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but Ned Leeds ended up doing such a task less spectacularly). Unfortunately for Disney, we've seen more and more of these unfortunate changes in plans over the last few years.
Kang is no longer the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, big projects such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness were released much later than originally anticipated, and no shortage of films have been reportedly scrapped at Marvel. But the worst part? A highly-anticipated movie that was announced almost six years ago could have been delayed until after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars. There goes our hope of seeing a beloved Marvel icon join Earth's Mightiest Heroes in their upcoming crossover.
Blade reportedly delayed until after The Multiverse Saga ends
According to credible insider, Daniel Richtman, the Blade movie won't be released until after Avengers: Secret Wars, even when it was officially announced back in San Diego Comic-Con 2019 with Mahershala Ali set to take on the role of Eric Brooks. At this point, it isn't a secret that the movie has been in development hell as multiple directors and writers haven't been able to crack the code behind a live-action adaptation starring the beloved vampire hunter.
Blade was originally intended for a November 3, 2023 release date with Bassam Tariq set to helm the movie. Unfortunately, just a few days before principal photography was supposed to start, it was announced Bassam had stepped down as the director, and Yann Demange eventually took his place. However, tragedy struck yet again as Yann left the position, and the movie would be pushed back from 2023 to September 6, 2024, and later to February 14, 2025, until landing a final release date of November 7, 2025, before being indefinitely delayed.
With the recent wave of critically and commercially unsuccessful movies and series, Marvel has been rethinking their strategy moving forward. That means stopping a potential flop right in its tracks, and redoing it again if it's the only solution. Daredevil: Born Again suffered from a creative reboot mid-production, and while it's clear the final result is a mix of two different visions, it can't be denied the huge risk paid off as the latest Disney Plus show has been making headlines for all the right reasons. With that in mind, the decision to potentially delay Blade until after the Multiverse Saga concludes might have been the best move.
Interestingly enough, it has been reported other "supernatural" characters such as Moon Knight and Agatha Harkness won't appear in upcoming Avengers movies either. So perhaps Marvel will allow them to steal the spotlight later, and eventually build towards a Midnight Sons movie — a huge event that could feel out of place now that Doctor Doom will attempt to seize the multiverse as a whole over the following years. However, that doesn't mean we can't see some hints and references about Blade and Marvel's supernatural side in upcoming projects.
Ironheart, an upcoming Disney Plus series set to release on June 24, 2025, will pit technology against magic. It has been rumored and reported for the longest time that Sacha Baron Cohen will portray the role of Mephisto in Riri Williams' upcoming adventure. So it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume other supernatural characters can be teased as well. Besides, we already had that Blade reference during that Eternals post-credits scene, so nothing's stopping Marvel from doing it once again.
While audiences loved to see Wesley Snipes' Blade make a comeback during the events of Deadpool & Wolverine, we're eager to see how a new adaptation of the character set within the MCU does. But for the time being, it might be a little disappointing to learn we'll have to be even more patient to see these plans to fruition even after a nearly six-year wait. So whenever the new Blade movie finally releases, Marvel better have an explosive success on its hands.