10 Reasons Why The Blade Movies Still Matter

The end of the Blade series is almost as legendary as its beginnings, for sadly very different reasons. However, while a great deal can (and will) be said against 2004's trilogy closer Blade: Trinity, the film did go some way to introducing another key figure in contemporary comic book movies.

Prior to being cast as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity, Ryan Reynolds was best known either for his role in TV sitcom Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, or his inauspicious breakthrough movie Van Wilder: Party Liaison.

So, while he may have been fairly well versed in cracking wise, he hadn't yet had much of a chance get into beefed-up action hero mode. Blade: Trinity afforded him the opportunity to both, and - despite the film's obvious failings - Reynolds made the most of this opportunity.

There can be no question that this helped pave the way to Reynolds landing the role of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine... which, sadly, was also a terrible film. But again, this helped Reynolds land the title role in Green Lantern, which... okay, you get the point.

But, as we all know, the perpetual comeback kid finally came up trumps with 2016's Deadpool, which finally saw him get his quirky trash-talking, self-deprecating, ultra-violent superhero routine down just right.

Would any of this have come to pass if Reynolds hadn't done Blade: Trinity first? Who can say. But one other key thing can be said of the third and final Blade film...