When Wesley Snipes' legendary Daywalker declared, "There's been only one Blade! There's only ever gonna be one Blade!" in Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine crossover this summer, it was tough to decide whether to chuckle or cringe. After all, Marvel Studios has been grappling to launch their own Blade film since announcing Mahershala Ali as the MCU's vampire slayer at San Diego Comic Con in 2019. Now, following the exits of both director Bassam Tariq and his replacement Yann Demange, it seems Snipes' line might have foreshadowed the final blow to Blade's cinematic fate.
According to Deadline, Marvel's Blade has lost its previously scheduled 7 November 2025 release date to Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands. While no official cancellation has been announced for the film, which was set to star Ali alongside scream queen Mia Goth, Marvel Studios' simultaneous announcement of three untitled MCU features for 18 February 2028, 5 May 2028, and 10 November 2028 suggests that a revival of the vampire hunter's story is not on the immediate horizon.
Blade's journey has been hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which were necessary but challenging to navigate. Since the character's MCU debut was teased at the end of Eternals in 2021, the odds have seemed stacked against Kevin Feige and his team. With the loss of directors, multiple writers (including Stacy Osei-Kuffour, X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo, Michael Starrbury, Nic Pizzolatto, and Michael Green), and now its release date, it's difficult not to think that perhaps a clean slate and a fresh start after the Multiverse Saga might be the best course for the project.
And with Ali and Goth still technically attached to star, and Feige having emphasized the importance of getting the MCU's Blade right over rushing its release, there's still a glimmer of hope. Maybe this film hasn't completely met its end—even if it would take an extraordinary effort to bring it to fruition.
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