At this point, it’s no longer dramatic to say it — it’s just honest.
According to veteran industry insider Jeff Sneider, Marvel Studios’ long-promised Blade reboot is effectively dead. Speaking on The Hot Mic, Sneider made it clear that Mahershala Ali will not be introduced in a solo Blade film — instead, the plan is reportedly to debut the character in a Midnight Sons team-up movie.
“Blade is dead,” Sneider said plainly. “He will not be introduced in a solo movie. He’ll be introduced in Midnight Sons.”
And when Sneider says something this definitive, people listen. He’s a former trades reporter with deep sourcing who now operates without studio-friendly filters — which, frankly, is why his reporting tends to land.
Seven Years. No Movie.
Marvel first announced Blade at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. The reveal stunned Hall H and positioned Ali as the face of Marvel’s supernatural future.
Fast-forward nearly seven years later, and here’s what we have instead:
- No release date
- No director
- No locked script
- No movement
- Most Cast is gone
🔗 For a full breakdown of every rewrite, director exit, cast change, and delay, check out our complete Blade timeline: A 5+ Year Saga: A Detailed Timeline of the Blade Remake’s Tumultuous Journey
The Costume Detail That Quietly Told the Story
One of the clearest signals that Blade was in serious trouble came from behind the scenes.
Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter had already designed and produced extensive wardrobe for an earlier iteration of Blade — a version reportedly set in the early 20th century. That version of the film was later abandoned when Marvel pivoted the project to a modern-day setting.
Once that decision was made, those costumes were no longer tied to any active version of Blade. Marvel subsequently approved their reuse on Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, primarily for background actors.
This wasn’t a mistake or a budget shortcut — it was a signal. Studios don’t release finished assets from a project they plan to revisit. Allowing those costumes to be repurposed effectively confirmed that the period-set version of Blade was fully scrapped, not paused or retooled.
The costume reuse didn’t kill Blade — it revealed that Marvel already had.
The Pivot to Midnight Sons
According to Sneider, Marvel’s solution is to sidestep the solo film entirely and introduce Blade in Midnight Sons, a long-rumored supernatural ensemble featuring characters like Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Elsa Bloodstone.
From a logistical standpoint, it’s efficient. From a creative standpoint, it’s an admission that Marvel couldn’t figure out how to lead with Blade — a character who historically never needed a workaround.
And Here’s the Part That Makes This Worse
Blade is not just another Marvel property.
The 1998 Blade film starring Wesley Snipes arrived when Marvel was financially unstable and selling off IP just to survive. That movie’s success helped prove Marvel characters could thrive on screen — laying groundwork for X-Men, Spider-Man, and eventually the MCU itself.
So yes, there’s something deeply ironic — and honestly disrespectful — about Marvel fumbling the character who helped save the company.
Will audiences still show up if Blade appears in Midnight Sons? Of course. Marvel knows that. Blade has cultural weight, and Mahershala Ali has gravitas.
But let’s call it what it is.
The Blade solo movie isn’t “delayed.”
It isn’t “reworked.”
It isn’t “evolving.”
It’s stuck in purgatory — and Marvel put it there.