Marvel confirms Blade's next MCU appearance in first look merchandise

It was announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali would play Blade in the character's long-awaited self-titled Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. However, the planned movie suffered from endless delays and false starts, with various directors becoming attached and later dropping out as the years went by. Although the film seemed unlikely to ever be made at this point, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has since confirmed that it is still in development. In the meantime, there have been little teases of Blade's inevitable arrival in the MCU.

A version of Blade from an alternate universe appeared in the series finale of Marvel's What If...? series, which was titled "What If... What If?". The episode was released last December, and the version of Blade it depicted was merged with Moon Knight. And it seems we're going to see this particular version of the Daywalker once again, as he will seemingly be returning in the upcoming Marvel Zombies animated TV series, which arrives on Disney Plus in October.

Now, we have our first official look at the character's MCU comeback in the form of some awesome new merchandise for that project.

First look at Blade Knight's return revealed ahead of Marvel Zombies

Marvel Zombies will receive a series of Funko Pop Vinyls, which will include a figurine of this new version of Blade. Thanks to the listing on Funko’s official website, we know that the character is officially called Blade Knight, and he looks just as awesome as you would expect.

The Funko Pop depicts Blade Knight branching a formidable sword which he will no doubt use to cut down any vampires or zombies which cross his path. He is also wearing a costume similar to the suit worn by Moon Knight, and it seems safe to assume that Blade Knight also possesses the powers bestowed upon the avatar of Khonshu in addition to his superhuman vampiric abilities. And this stunning and stylish figurine will certainly make a fine addition to your collection.

It's worth pointing out that this is the first official merchandise for any version of Blade that is exclusive to the MCU (there was previously a Funko Pop modelled after Wesley Snipes' iconic version of the character). Although Mahershala Ali provided an uncredited voice cameo in Eternals and his likeness was used for that What If...? cameo, no version of the Marvel Studios Blade was ever used prominently enough for merchandise to be produced. Now we know that the Blade Knight version of the character will have at least something of a prominent role in Marvel Zombies.

The other Marvel Zombies Funko Pop Vinyls include a zombified Hawkeye and a zombified Captain America rising from the ground (which will also be available as a keychain), and they also look suitably terrifying.

Produced by Marvel Studios Animation and based on the classic comic series by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Marvel Zombies takes place in an alternate universe where a zombie outbreak turns various established superheroes and villains into ravenous zombies, with the non-infected superpowered beings fighting back against the living dead. The voice cast will include various characters from the MCU voicing alternate versions of the characters from the films and shows, including Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi, Awkwafina as Katy, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. It has not yet been confirmed if Ali will be voicing Blade in the series, but we will know for sure when the TV-MA-rated show debuts on Disney+ on October 3, 2025.

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