David Pierdomenico
It’s quite surprising to realize that the original Blade debuted in theaters 20 years ago. Sure it’s filled with dated visual effects, and some cheesy 90’s grunge, but it’s always had a cult following. However, there are still many fans of the franchise who aren’t even aware that Blade himself came from Marvel. The films were produced and distributed by New Line Cinema, who owned the rights at the time. But in 2013, the rights went back where they belong with Marvel Studios. It’s been 14 years since Blade: Trinity and it seems now would be the perfect time for Marvel to relaunch the MCU version of the beloved vampire hunter.
A New Beginning for the Character
As far as cheesy, but fun 90’s films go, the original Blade is by no means a bad movie. It’s stylized, and has some really cool action. But even the most loyal fans will admit that the series downgraded in quality significantly with the two sequels. In particular Blade: Trinity and its mediocre portrayal of the legendary Count Dracula (more on that here). The films feel rather dated and don’t hold up very well against modern scrutiny. And this is usually the best justification for a remake or a reboot.
Plus, it would be a great chance to bring the character to a new generation of young fans who may not be entirely familiar with the other films. He’s a bit darker and edgier than many of the characters in the MCU, and he would be a welcome addition. Especially in an age of diversity, where Black Panther grossed over a $1 billion, it would be nice to see another African-American led protagonist. Inclusion is incredibly important, and while it’s taken Marvel longer than they should, it’s finally taking hold with Black Panther and the upcoming Captain Marvel.
The only potential concern would be how Marvel chooses to handle him. Given that it dealt with vampires, the three Wesley Snipes led films were all incredibly bloody and violent, boasting hard “R” ratings. Obviously, Marvel has no intention of releasing anything that extreme, especially given their parent company Disney. Which means they could either tone it down and release a PG13, relatively “family friendly” vampire hunter film, or they could relegate it to Netflix with a TV-MA rating as they’ve done for Punisher, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. However, given Marvel’s tendency to completely ignore their TV universe, one can’t help but feel like Blade deserves a cinematic treatment.
Filling the Upcoming MCU Void
It’s also the perfect opportunity for Marvel as well. With the MCU itself approaching a large transition, now is their chance. Many of the series’ leads, including Robert Downy Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans are reportedly done with their characters following Avengers 4. Whether they’ll be killed off or simply retire is currently unknown, but the point is they will need fresh blood (no pun intended) to lead the franchise from here. They already have Spiderman and Black Panther, but Blade would add some edge to the mix.
The MCU has already dabbled with Inhumans and aliens, but never vampires. However they’re in a unique position to be able to do so. With the Fox deal having gone through, they’ll certainly want to bring the X-Men into the franchise. Why not introduce vampires alongside mutants? Or why not even have the vampires be a form of mutant? They’ll already be emerging with new characters and concepts, so why not add Blade and vampires? The MCU has demonstrated that it can transcend genres with Winter Soldier being a spy thriller and Homecoming being a teen comedy, as well as many more examples. But with Blade comes a new horror/sci-fi angle that hasn’t been explored before.
Marvel is finally able to use so many characters that they’ve never had the rights to, and more importantly, cross them over with each other. How awesome would it be for Blade and Spiderman to team up in the streets of New York City to hunt down vampire supervillain? There’s unlimited potential to what they could do. So Marvel, on behalf of all the fans, please give us a reboot of our beloved Daywalker!
