Blade was first introduced in Marvel Comics’ The Tomb of Dracula #10 in 1973, Blade aka Eric Brooks was Marvel’s premier vampire hunting hero. However, Blade is probably best known for the 1998 film of the same name. The film portrayed Wesley Snipes as the titular role, which remains his most iconic performance to date. Blade spawned a relatively successful trilogy with the original film retaining a cult-like following. A continuation of the films, Blade: The Series aired on Spike TV in 2006 but was cancelled after 13 episodes. General audiences may be surprised to know that Blade is a Marvel hero and throughout his run in the comic books has teamed up with the likes of, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange to name but a few.
The movie/television rights for Blade reverted to Marvel Studios in 2011, and in 2015, Snipes, claimed he had been in talks with Marvel about bringing Blade back to the big screen. The question is, how could/should Marvel Studios reboot Blade in their interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Do something new
Back in 2015, Marvel Comics released information regarding a brand new Blade-centric comic book series, Blade: The Hunter. This new series would feature a younger, female Blade called Fallon Grey. Fallon would in fact be the daughter of the original Blade with her father taking on a mentor like role. This news was met with much excitement as this felt like a fresh take on the Blade mythos. There was also rumours it would be the premise for a new Marvel/Netflix TV show. Netflix is the perfect home to explore the darker underground world that Blade inhabits as he/she battles vampiric forces.
No more Snipes
Sorry Wesley Snipes fans, but a Blade reboot would be wise to distance itself from the film series and could look to their own source material to refresh the character. Blade is English in the comic books and spent decades traveling Britain, Europe and Asia fighting the forces of evil before ever heading to America and teaming up with our favourite heroes. Blade’s origins could be told excellently throughout the series with flashbacks set all over the world. This could contrast well with a modern day American city setting and explore the greater MCU on screen.
Nail the cast
As mentioned above, Marvel would be wise to distance themselves from the film series and that includes not casting Wesley Snipes in any role. Lennie James best known from AMC’s The Walking Dead could be a perfect, older and more experienced Blade. If Marvel chose to follow the comic books James is in fact British and has shown on The Walking Dead, he is no stranger to action and combat. Another option is Harold Perrineau, whose list of excellent TV credits (including voicing Blade in a Marvel Anime series) speaks volumes for his talent.
If a reboot does see the father daughter dynamic adapted then casting Fallon may be the key. Although the character is yet to be seen in comic book form, we’d expect Fallon to be the eyes of the audience. Zoe Kravitz and Logan Browning have both appeared in comic book adaptions, (X-Men: First Class and Powers respectively) and either one would look great as the younger, student Blade alongside an older, wiser father figure.
How would you like to see Blade rebooted and join the MCU?
