Sean Marshall When it was announced in 2019 that Mahershala Ali would be taking on the role of Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans of the 1998 film starring Wesley Snipes were left divided. This wasn’t because people didn’t know who Ali was or because they doubted his acting talent because that would be a colossal mistake; it was because fans from the ’90s that grew up with Snipes as their Blade & wanted him to return to the role in the MCU. Snipes hinted a year before the announcement that he was working on two projects with Marvel but didn’t state that the projects were connected to Blade.
“There are a lot of conversations going around right now, and we’re very blessed to have the enthusiasm and interest in something coming from that world again. We’ve created two projects that fit perfectly into this world and, when people see them, I think they’re only going to have a problem with deciding which one they love the most. All the main execs (at Marvel) and my team, we’ve been discussing for the past two years. Everyone’s enthusiastic about it; everybody gets it. But they got a business to run, and they gotta square the things that they gotta figure out before they can get to it, I guess. In the meantime, we got a business to run and our own slate of things to do so…”
So if Marvel were to bring Snipes into Phase 4’s Blade, who or what would he be? This is a question that I am sure some have thought about but probably never put too much thought into because they only see Snipes as Blade. I will throw three people I believe Snipes could play if he’s brought back to the Blade films.
JAMAL AFARI
Jamal Afari is a character longtime Blade fans might remember as the father figure that 9-year-old Eric/Blade saved from three vampires back in London, England. Jamal Afari was introduced in the 1975 Marvel Preview #3 comic. Jamal was a vampire hunter in his youth & is the one that raised Blade & taught him how to hunt vampires efficiently. Jamal is the main inspiration for Abraham Whistler, who David S. Goyer created for the 1998 Blade film. Instead of the MCU going with Whistler, they can bring Snipes in to play Jamal, which would be a nice under-the-table gesture of having Snipes pass the torch onto Ali.
DEACON FROST
Deacon Frost is a character that will have return for Blade’s MCU debut because he’s technically Blade’s vampiric father & is the center of Blade’s revenge. For those new to the Blade lore, let me give you a little background on Deacon Frost. Deacon Frost first appeared in 1973’s The Tomb of Dracula #3 & was created by Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan. Frost kidnapped a woman to infuse her with vampire blood for one of his experiments, only to infuse himself accidentally with the blood during a fight between himself & the woman’s boyfriend.
Blade & Frost’s connection is deep & Shakesperian. While Blade’s mother was giving birth to him in a whore house, a doctor was called to assist her due to complications. This doctor ended up being Frost, who killed Blade’s mother by completely draining her body of blood. Unbeknownst to Frost, he passed on the vampire enzymes to the unborn Blade making him half-vampire or, as they call him in the vampire world: Daywalker.
Of course, there will be some basement dwellers that will say: “Frost isn’t black! Why can’t they stick to the source?!” or “I’m not going to see this because Marvel is going woke!” which is a go-to for most people that hate seeing change. Snipes playing Frost would be interesting to see as he would be the one that made Ali’s Blade & would put a different spin on the character than Stephen Dorph did in 1998’s Blade. It would also play a part in the MCU’s multiverse because Snipes in another universe would be Frost instead of Blade.
DRACULA
Yes, I think Snipes would be a solid choice to play Dracula in the MCU. I feel that the MCU’s Dracula should remain in the shadows until the final film, somewhat like how Thanos was throughout the MCU.
Putting a spin on Dracula’s origins would also be a must if Snipes were to play him. In the comics, Vlad Dracul, aka Dracula, was the ruler of Transylvania & Wallachia in 1430 & was mortally wounded by Turac, a Turkish warlord who later took Vlad to a gypsy to be healed because he wanted to control Vlad & rule through him. The gypsy turned Vlad into a vampire because of his hate for the gypsies & thus, Dracula was born. We were given a Dracula played by Domonic Purcellin in Blade: Trinity, but that movie is nothing to brag about due to the drama & writing attached to the film.
If we want to see Snipes return to the MCU in the Blade films & stick around for a while, he’d either have to play Jamal Afari, who would take the place of Whistler, or Dracula, who would be the main antagonist & reveal himself fully in the last film. What do you think about these choices? Do you want to see Snipes return to the Blade films as one of these characters? Which one do you feel suits Snipes the best?
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