We recently reported that the producers of the Underworld films had invited Marvel’s Blade over for 90 minutes of daywalking, vampire-slaying fun. Marvel demurred, essentially apologizing that Blade would have loved to come over, but he already busy on his own project. And that exchange added speculation to the ongoing rumors of Blade’s return.
But speaking to The Playlist, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed the conversation with Underworld producers, while negating hopes that Snipes or anybody else would be playing Blade anytime soon:
They did ask a long time ago and I think our answer was, ‘No, we’ll do something with Blade at some point.’ That’s still the answer. We still think he’s a great character. He’s a really fun character. We think this movie going into a different side of the universe would have the potential to have him pop up, but between the movies, the Netflix shows, the ABC shows there are so many opportunities for the character to pop up as you’re now seeing with Ghost Rider on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. that rather than team up with another studio on that character let’s do something on our own. What that is? Where that will be? We’ll see. There is nothing imminent to my knowledge.”
So unfortunately, Marvel doesn’t have any plans to bring back Blade. Instead, it sounds like Underworld producers called up Feige and extended the invitation, but Blade was in the background, waving his arms and violently shaking his head “no,” and Uncle Kevin had to come up with an excuse why the playdate couldn’t happen. And that left Underworld to go out and build some tree forts, while Blade stays inside all day playing Castlevania by himself.
In the meantime, we’re still in the midst of Marvel’s latest cinematic five-year plan, with Doctor Strange conjuring himself into theaters November 4, three more films in 2017, followed by another five before 2020. And then there’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., and all of the Netflix series. By then, Marvel will be diligently working on an actual return of Blade, or we’ll have sworn off superhero media entirely.