Oh, Blade, the poor forgotten child of the MCU. What was once the MCU’s most hyped new movie has become the project that fans have given up on. It was always a tall task replacing Wesley Snipes as Blade, but fans were excited when Mahershala Ali stepped up to the task in 2019, with Kevin Feige announcing he would be the new Daywalker in a Blade reboot movie. But six years later, that film is no closer to being released. Blade has already made his MCU debut, courtesy of the recent animated series, Marvel Zombies. However, Mahershala Ali was notably absent from the cast list, with the actor’s part recast in the show. Following the Marvel Zombies finale, Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum has finally revealed why.
Brad Winderbaum and series writer Bryan Andrews recently spoke to POC Culture about Marvel Zombies and, more importantly, Mahershala Ali’s lack of a role in the series. An alternate version of Blade appears in the animated horror series, known as Blade Knight. The pair confirmed that Mahershala Ali wasn’t recast as Blade Knight because of Marvel Studios canceling the Blade movie or any other bad sign for the character’s future. It was simply an issue of scheduling. “It was really a timing issue more than anything else,” Winderbaum revealed. Andrews tacked on, saying that there was always a place for Mahershala Ali in Marvel Zombies, “We would have loved it.”
In lieu of Mahershala Ali, voice acting veteran Todd Williams stepped in to voice Blade Knight in Marvel Zombies. Williams is a well-known name in the voice acting community, with arguably his biggest role coming from Prime Video’s Invincible. Those who know the behind-the-scenes story of that show know that, coincidentally, Williams also replaced Mahershala Ali in Invincible. Ali played Titan in the show’s first season, but had to leave due to scheduling conflicts, with Todd Williams replacing him for Seasons 2, 3, and beyond.
Mahershala Ali Has Already Made His MCU Debut… Kind Of
As MCU fans wait with bated breath for Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot to finally hit the big screen, hardcore fans know that the actor has technically already played Blade in the MCU. However, we really wouldn’t blame you if you missed it.
Mahershala Ali officially debuted as Blade in the easily forgotten 2021 movie, Eternals. Ali’s brief role came in the film’s post-credits scene, where he voiced the Daywalker. While he didn’t appear on-screen at all in the scene, it technically counts as a debut. However, given that most MCU fans try to forget that Eternals ever happened, we won’t blame you for ignoring that cameo ever.
As for the live-action Blade movie, it remains stuck in development hell. Ali is still attached to play the character, with Mia Goth in a secret role. But the film hasn’t received a positive update in a very long time, with some fans believing that Marvel Studios has quietly scrapped the film, especially after Wesley Snipes’ return as the original Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- Release Date
-
September 24, 2025
- Network
-
Disney+
- Directors
-
Bryan Andrews
- Franchise(s)
-
Marvel Cinematic Universe