It's been a particularly intriguing time to be a Marvel Studios fan. The almighty Marvel Cinematic Universe retains its title as the most lucrative franchise in Hollywood history, but it hasn't won that battle completely unscathed. Over the course of the past four years or so, it has shown signs of weakness, struggling to launch new characters and spreading itself too thin. This has resulted in some drastic changes behind-the-scenes to bring audiences back, bring budgets down, and restore the MCU to its former glory.
As the franchise builds towards the conclusion of its Multiverse Saga, it appears that the strategy is finding success. Although its box office performances aren't yet where they once were, the critical responses to Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are exactly what the MCU needed ahead of Avengers: Doomsday this year.
And yet, it seems that the franchise's future is still in flux, as an upcoming MCU movie reportedly won't be happening after all.
Blade reportedly dead at Marvel Studios as plans for character change
It sounds like Marvel Studios' attempted Blade reboot is officially dead. According to insider Jeff Sneider, who recently appeared on The Hot Mic with John Rocha, the film is no longer happening. The good news, however, is that there are still plans in place to introduce the character of Blade in a separate MCU movie - one that has been in the works for a long time.
"He [Blade] will not be introduced in a solo movie... He’ll be introduced in Midnight Sons."
While Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm the future for Blade, it wouldn't be too surprising to hear that the plans for the movie have changed. After all, it's been stuck in production hell since it was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 ahead of the franchise's launch of the Multiverse Saga. We're coming up on the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga - which will officially end with Avengers: Secret Wars - and the movie has yet to materialize. And that's pretty wild considering it has had its star - Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali - pinned down since 2019.
The film encountered a number of issues throughout the years since then, most notably going through multiple creative teams - including two directors - before rumors about its fate began swirling. It was clear that Marvel had a plan for the Blade character, but it couldn't seem to land anything that would work for a solo movie. And considering how successful the original Blade movies, starring Wesley Snipes, were at a time when there weren't really any superhero movies, that's very disheartening.
What also makes this new update about Blade's fate all the more disheartening is that it comes off the back of more positive updates. Last summer, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed in a chat with press that the long-standing MCU movie was still alive, reviving hopes that it might see the light of day (no pun intended). But if this newest update turns out to be true, it could be the stake in the Daywalker's heart that nobody wanted to see.
But it wouldn't be a complete death sentence as the character's involvement in Midnight Sons would provide a lifeline. Although Marvel has never officially confirmed a project focused on the Midnight Sons, it's been one of the longest-standing rumored future MCU projects. It is also one of the most likely considering that it would likely act as an Avengers: Endgame for the franchise's supernatural characters that we haven't seen in years.
The Multiverse Saga introduced the likes of Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing all throughout Phase Four, and yet in Phases Five and Six they have been completely absent. The story for a Midnight Sons movie, uniting them all (alongside Blade and potentially even Ghost Rider), is there but Marvel has yet to make it happen. And the delays - and the subsequent uncertainty - with Blade might explain why.
If the Blade cancellation does turn out to be true, it would be a darn shame considering how much potential the Daywalker would have in the world of the MCU. Even so, seeing Mahershala Ali's Blade alongside the likes of Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight and