A new report claims that Mahershala Ali's Blade will make his first full Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance in a Disney+ special and not in the Blade movie as previously believed.
Eric Brooks will reportedly play a supporting role in the Werewolf by Night Halloween special, according to unnamed sources cited by The Cosmic Circus. These insiders didn't elaborate on Blade's role in Werewolf by Night but the report speculates that the legendary vampire hunter could be looking to recruit the titular wolfman for a supernaturally-themed superhero team.
Blade's first MCU "appearance" amounted to a single line of off-screen dialogue during Eternals' second post-credits scene, which an uncredited Ali delivered to Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman/Black Knight. A seemingly authentic synopsis of the Blade movie's plot surfaced on social media soon after Eternals' release, further fueling anticipation for the character's full MCU debut.
The synopsis reads: "Himself a half-human/half-vampire, 'Daywalker' Eric Brooks (Ali) has honed his abilities to hunt down the undead who have long terrorized mankind. A human-vampire hybrid since his tragic birth, Blade has spent his long life seeking to rid the world of vampires like the one that killed his mother. Over the years, he has mastered his own style of fighting monsters of all kinds."
Production on Blade is gradually picking up pace, with Da 5 Bloods star Delroy Lindo signing on for an undisclosed role in November 2021. More recently, Eternals VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti appeared to inadvertently confirm that Kit Harrington was also on board for the film. Cerretti revealed that the magical Ebony Blade wielded by Dane Whitman/Black Knight would feature in the movie, saying, "I told [Blade VFX supervisor] Mårten Larsson, I said, 'I'm giving [the Ebony Blade] to you as a gift, use it wisely and make good out of it.' But I'm sure it's going to do actually even better."
Werewolf by Night is also slowly gaining momentum, with the production making a flurry of casting announcements in recent months. Gael García Bernal is confirmed to headline the upcoming special, with fans speculating that he'll play Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night. Bernal will star opposite Irish actor Laura Donnelly, who is rumored to play Nina Price/Vampire by Night, a powerful vampire/werewolf hybrid. Should the rumors surrounding Donnelly's vampiric role prove accurate, it would lend further credence to Blade's supposed involvement in the upcoming special.
Werewolf By Night is scheduled for release in late 2022. A premiere date has not yet been confirmed.
Source: The Cosmic Circus