The MCU's Blade has become a hot topic of discussion in recent years for a couple of reasons. For one, Disney cast Mahershala Ali as the titular Daywalker in their live-action universe. Secondly, The Eternals hinted at a mentorship between Blade and Dane Whitman. And lastly, Wesley Snipes returned to play the most iconic version of the character in Deadpool And Wolverine. The last of those three has piqued the most interest, especially since Marvel shelved the previously announced Blade movie.
According to new reports, Marvel/Disney have shelved the standalone feature. The studio hasn't explicitly pointed out why it's reversing course, but the cause may be Disney's reduced movie schedule. Kevin Feige announced the slowdown in productions, which may explain why Blade got moved from its 2025 release date.
While shelving doesn't always spell doom, combined with higher priorities, it does. In Blade's case, the movie is on backlog behind various other projects that'll come first. Marvel's been quietly setting up both teams of New Avengers and Young Avengers, requiring feature films in the next few years. The X-Men are getting a movie, and Doctor Strange is returning for a third film too. That doesn't leave much room for Blade, especially when Deadpool has also made quite the impression.
No one can say whether Marvel/Disney will get the standalone Blade film into production, but odds are it's on the back burner until after Avengers: Secret Wars. Delaying until then makes the most sense, too.
After Deadpool And Wolverine made stars out of Blade and Elektra again, fans want to see more of them. Their ends were left ambiguous in the movie, which means they can show up practically anywhere. Neither of them is going to receive the feature treatment due to the reasons listed above. The ideal project for such a situation is Avengers: Secret Wars.
Since The Beyonder collects heroes and villains from various points in the multiverse for his game, Blade and Elektra are viable candidates. Disney is likely mulling over which characters will receive the biggest pop because the decision will impact a culmination of eighteen years. The pool to choose from is vast enough without the Marvel Knights, which means the studio has an even tougher selection process to get through.
Thankfully, fan input has influenced Marvel movies as of late. Otherwise, Disney wouldn't have made Deadpool And Wolverine. So, as long as petitions and fan campaigns remain strong, Wesley Snipes' Blade will probably be alongside the Avengers and adjacent heroes when Secret Wars rears its ugly head.
Avengers: Doomsday releases on May 1, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars premiers on May 7, 2027.