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Blade fans were just hit with the worst possible news. After seven years in development, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed the fate of its Blade reboot.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Feige seemed to confirm that the reboot, which was set to star Mahershala Ali in the title role, is dead. "I am feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala," he admitted.
The MCU's Blade Remains 7 Years in the Making
Marvel Studios announced its Blade reboot at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, with Ali's casting also unveiled at that time. Unfortunately, in the seven years since that announcement, Blade has struggled to come together, leading to the superhero reboot going through two directors (Bassim Tariq and Yann Demange) and a string of screenwriters (Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Michael Starrbury, Nic Pizzolatto, Michael Green, and Eric Pearson).
Amid all the development difficulties and delays, a variant of Blade who had adopted the mantle of Moon Knight appeared in Marvel Zombies. While Ali's likeness was used for the character, the actor did not voice him. Todd Williams instead gave the character his voice.
It's unlikely Feige would have called himself a failure for not being able to get Blade "off the ground" if the Marvel Studios president still believed there was a chance to get the project realized. Instead, his comments confirm insider Jeff Sneider's January 2026 claim that the reboot was "dead" at Marvel Studios.
However, it seems like Ali could still have a shot at properly playing Blade. After all, Marvel is already committed to him in the role. The actor made his (so far) only appearance as Blade in the MCU via an uncredited voice cameo at the end of 2021's Eternals.
Sneider reported that Marvel wanted to include Blade in a Midnight Sons film, a crossover that has long been rumored to be in the works at the studio. Oscar Isaac, who plays Moon Knight in the MCU, seemed to confirm its existence earlier this year, when he told Happy Sad Confused that "there was an interesting conversation about Midnight Sons."
Kevin Feige Was Excited About Wesley Snipes' Blade Return
While Ali's Blade has made Feige feel like a "gigantic loser and failure," the return of Wesley Snipes' Blade in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine elicited a different reaction from the Marvel Studios head. "I'm feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time," he told Happy Sad Confused.
Snipes originated the role of Blade in live-action. He played the superhero in three movies for New Line Cinema: Blade (1998), Blade II (2002), and Blade: Trinity (2004). He returned for Deadpool & Wolverine, which saw his Blade spout the now prophetic line, "There's only been one Blade. There's only ever gonna be one Blade."
The next MCU movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, arrives in theaters on July 31. Avengers: Doomsday, which finally drops its official trailer, will then hit the big screen on Dec. 18.
