Marvel’s Blade Reboot Bites the Dust (For Now)

With the continued success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the comic book titan keeps exploring its rich pantheon of heroes and villains. The possibilities available through lesser-known characters are just about endless and it has looked as though just about everyone is getting a new shot at the silver screen (or at least streaming). The company went so far as to give Daredevil and Elektra a second chance managed to make them into bankable characters, despite their troubled cinematic history.

Marvel has made its latest big gamble with Doctor Strange. A superhero film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular wizard that keeps one foot firmly planted in the world of spells and alternate realities. So far, the movie featuring the MCU’s sorcerer supreme has made a strong impression on critics and opens up a whole new world for the MCU to explore the supernatural. If the movie has established that magic exists in the MCU, whose to say that other supernatural creatures don’t as well? Like vampires.

Marvel finally reacquired the movie rights to Blade, along with Ghost Rider, in 2013 and has wasted no time making the most of the acquisitions. Ghost Rider was added to ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. earlier this year, sparking new speculation as to whether Blade would follow suit in the near future. Rumours of Marvel resurrecting the character were kicked into high gear at this year’s New York Comic Con when Underworld actress Kate Beckinsale hinted that the studio was busy working on a new project. This, along with the willingness of Wesley Snipes to portray the character once more, fueled gossip that a new movie or at least a cameo could be in the works.

Sadly, it looks as though those reports were mistaken and that any new projects for the vampire hunter might have been put on hold for the time being. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, has gone on record saying that the company currently has no plans to bring back the Daywalker anytime soon. However, that doesn’t mean that it will never happen, because Feige said they still want to work with the character and confirmed that they’ll “do something with Blade at some point.”

In many ways Blade was the movie that started it all for Marvel’s cinematic dominance. Blade helped to open the door for big-budget comic book movies in general, paving the way for both Spider-Man and X-Men. The movie was a surprise smash hit for Marvel, and it went on to spawn two well-received sequels in addition to several video games. The character remains wildly popular today and continues to be a hit with fans. In fact, Blade is one of the most popular titles available at an online platform that specialises in licensed slot-reels and online casual games. And that’s in spite of the fact that newer, bigger Marvel stars have otherwise garnered popularity in the place of Blade. But judging from this and the continued online rumour-mill surrounding the project, there’s clearly a rabid fanbase for Blade and it’s just a matter of if and when Marvel will take advantage of it.

Doctor Strange should help to provide a new world for the MCU to explore and comes not a moment too soon. The typical superhero formula was starting to get a little stale and the addition of Strange should do a lot to help spice things up. Now that we’ll be embracing the supernatural, it only makes sense for the MCU to take a stab at the horror market, and Blade presents the perfect opportunity through which to do it. All we have to do is wait.