Mahershala Ali will bring the vampire hunter Blade to the MCU in his own movie in 2023, but plans to introduce the character in a Disney Plus release this year have reportedly been scrapped.

The arrival of Mahershala Ali’s Blade in the MCU was teased in a post-credits scene in Eternals, in which Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman hears Blade’s voice, though Ali does not appear on screen. A new report suggests the character came close to landing a larger supporting role in another project ahead of his solo movie.

While the appearance has reportedly been cut, Marvel Studios apparently had plans to include the Daywalker in their upcoming Disney Plus Halloween special.

Blade Vs. The Werewolf By Night

According to James Clement’s Weekly Planet Podcast, Blade was originally slated to appear in Marvel Studios’ Werewolf By Night on Disney Plus.

Given that Werewolf By Night appears to center on a gathering of monster hunters, the project would have had an obvious role for Blade to play. It sounds like plans to include Mahershala Ali’s vampire-hunting hero never made it off the page though.

Clement explained that scheduling conflicts apparently prevented the concept from becoming reality, saying:

“Anyway, here’s a scoop… Blade, I can’t prove this, was originally set to debut in a Halloween special but was cut due to scheduling conflicts… Monster hunter, goes to a monster house. Makes sense, love that. It’s not happening, apparently.”

If this rumor proves true, Marvel fans are sure to be disappointed to have missed out on a potential Blade appearance in the black-and-white Halloween special.

Of course, if Werewolf By Night does include a surprise Blade appearance, it’s unlikely Marvel will let the cat out of the bag before the special arrives. If not, however, it seems unlikely fans will get to see the character until the release of Blade in November next year.

Werewolf by Night stars Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Al Hamacher, Eugenie Bondurant, Kirk Thatcheras Jovan, Jaycob Maya, and Daniel Watts. Michael Giacchino directed the special from a script written by Peter Cameron and Heather Quinn. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige serves as Executive Producer.

Werewolf by Night will be available on Disney Plus on October 7th. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the special and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: The Weekly Planet