MCU: 10 Supernatural Characters Who Will DOMINATE Phase 5

Without Blade, you do not have the superhero movie boom of the aughts. That also means that, without Blade, it's doubtful you have the MCU. If Tim Burton's Batman laid the foundations for the all-encompassing monolithic comic book movie juggernaut that grew to consume everyone and everything (*inhale*), then Blade was the film that took those foundations and set to work actually building something.

That in itself is really important, because aside from Spider-Man, the MCU has never really had to reckon with such a hefty cinematic legacy. I know this is Blade and that Blade is literally just Wesley Snipes being The Best while Guillermo del Toro does his thing with vampires and such, but those first two films are a genuine seminal moment in the evolution of comic book movies.

Tackling Blade is also unique because Wesley Snipes was campaigning to reprise the role as recently as 2018, and that fans were behind him to do just that.

Of course, Marvel opted to go with another talent, and one that intimates the studio are more than capable of honouring the legacy of those earlier films - Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali.

Ali's casting is great news and the return of Blade is sure to be a highlight of not only Phase Four, but Phase Five. Marvel is assembling a new group of Avengers, only this time, things are going to get way more spooky.