Warning: Spoilers follow for Deadpool & Wolverine
Forget what you think you know, vampires exist. Specifically, they and the great Wesley Snipes have a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even as it’s been decades since the original badass vampire Blade has been on the big screen, with the years-long attempt at making a new movie starring Mahershala Ali getting caught up in development hell as it burns through director after director and undergoes multiple script rewrites, he’s now made an unexpected return in Deadpool & Wolverine. Not only that, but he’s one of the best parts of the whole damn thing.
Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine
Though much of Deadpool & Wolverine won’t help Marvel overcome the criticism that their more recent movies fall back on superficial cameos in place of solid storytelling and filmmaking, Snipes’ return as his classic character is one of the few times a familiar face popping up works. From the moment he emerges out of the shadows about midway through the film, when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) are at their lowest points, Snipes sinks his teeth into every scene he gets and doesn’t let go. Sure, we initially see him alongside Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and Gambit (Channing Tatum), though they’re mostly just there for the gags and goofs of it all. But Blade? Oh, he’s here to prove that he’s not messing around. Don’t you dare ice-skate uphill in front of him.
While it is great on its own to hear Snipes say this actually iconic line from a truly fun superhero movie (1998’s Blade) in what has become a franchise increasingly lacking for both iconic lines and fun, it’s also a blast to see the actor fully inhabiting the role once again even when he isn’t saying much at all. Though it's been decades since he first played the character, this movie shows Snipes remains great in the role. No matter what he’s doing, he's just so joyous to watch on screen. Whether it’s when he’s tearing enemies apart in what are otherwise rather scattered action sequences or getting a bit of a fourth-wall break of his own to say that he is the only one who can play this character, the sheer force of his charisma is undeniable.
Much has been made of the death of the movie star in modern cinema, but it is Snipes stealing scenes throughout Deadpool & Wolverine that provides what everyone else in the movie is lacking: presence. He can be stoic in a way that only makes everything that much more silly when it needs to be while bringing just the perfectly calibrated sincerity to the more serious beats. Forget the snark that Reynolds is doing in his sleep at this point, it’s Snipes who wakes you up and makes you pay attention. Luckily for all of us, his prior run of solo films still hold up and remain bloody fun.
The Original Wesley Snipes Blade Movies
If you haven’t yet seen them, best sit down for a history lesson. Produced by New Line Cinema (RIP), the first two Blade movies in particular (released in 1998 and 2002, respectively) are excellent and served as proof that people might like these superhero movies after all. That they made a killing at the box office didn’t hurt either.
The first, the aforementioned riot that is Blade, served as a fitting origin story of sorts for the character from the comics created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan, culminating in his mission to battle vampires that are attempting to take over the world. Written by David S. Goyer, who would go on of course to co-write Batman Begins, and directed by special effects artist Stephen Norrington, it’s not the best of the bunch but a close second, beaten only by its follow-up, Blade II.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro with Goyer again writing, Blade II takes everything that worked about the first and then builds on it, serving up even more visceral vampire visions while Snipes crushes skulls and scenes all over again. The third and final of the trilogy, Blade: Trinity, saw Goyer writing as well as directing to much more mixed results. The film did bring Ryan Reynolds in on the fun as fellow vampire Hannibal King, but this was still Snipes' show. That a baffling attempt was made to carry on without him on television with the forgettable Blade: The Series starring Sticky Fingaz, which was canceled after one season, supports many fans’ argument that Snipes was the key to the original trilogy’s success.
The MCU’s Blade Reboot
Which brings us to the mess that is the supposedly upcoming Marvel movie. First announced way back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the MCU Blade reboot was something studio president Kevin Feige said was happening because of Mahershala Ali himself, who had approached the studio boss after winning an Oscar for Green Book about wanting to take on Blade. The first director attached to the project in 2021 was Bassam Tariq, who made a splash with 2020’s magnificent Mogul Mowgli, though he left a year later just before shooting was to start.
Reports then began to emerge about Ali being “very frustrated with the process” and that there were only two “lackluster” action sequences in the current version of the script. Marvel hit pause and began searching for a new director. In 2022, the studio reportedly found one in Lovecraft Country director Yann Demange and even added writer Nic Pizzolatto, who previously worked with Ali on True Detective Season 3. However, following multiple creative overhauls that had Ali reportedly feeling much better about the project after almost leaving, Demange also left in June of this year. No replacement has been named as of yet. Since then, the process seems to be starting all over again with recent reports saying a new script is being written this summer and then going out to directors.
The funniest thing about this process is that Ali’s Blade technically already popped up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe years ago via the bizarre and forgettable offscreen cameo in the post-credits scene of The Eternals. In it, we simply hear his voice as he asks Kit Harington’s character (a.k.a. the maybe-future Black Knight) a question: “Are you sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” Which one has to ask, are you sure you’re ready, Blade?! It’s been years, man!
The Future of Blade
Each of these hirings, departures, and false starts has made this new Blade feel like one of the most cursed Marvel movies in some time. I posit a solution: Bring back Snipes to be part of it. He’s now shown that he can slip right back into the character with ease, and why would you waste that talent? That the actor himself has even recently joked around about the whole thing. Deadpool & Wolverine showed he was great just taking a bite out a larger pie as this character, so maybe giving him the chance to explore the MCU as the Daywalker could work.
Of course, he wouldn’t have to replace Ali. Quite the opposite. Perhaps a solve for the development problems Marvel’s Blade has faced would be for the duo to share in the fun before Snipes passes the torch to Ali to continue on as the Earth-616 version of the character. After all, X-23 survived the Void in Deadpool & Wolverine, so presumably Snipes’ Blade did too.
Snipes recently proved in the delightful Dolemite Is My Name that he’s more than capable of being part of a collective of actors and having plenty of fun doing it. It won’t solve the fundamental story issues being worked out, though if there is any way to give a film that’s nearly died multiple times new life, it would be in Snipes’ return. At the very least, he’s got plenty of one-liners to crack and movie-star charm left in the tank.
Considering the Blade movie without him has already been ice-skating uphill, maybe we just need more Snipes.
