While we have technically seen a version of Blade in the MCU thanks to Wesley Snipes' cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel's new Blade film with Mahershala Ali has been stuck in the mud for years. That means that the first time we're seeing a new Blade is in the upcoming Marvel Zombies.
That's not something Marvel's TV and animation director Brad Winderbaum expected. Speaking with GamesRadar in a recent interview, he said no one thought they'd be reintroducing Blade to people. "We thought that the live-action version was going to come out before the animated version. So for us to be the first MCU version of Blade is really an honor. Hopefully we did it justice. I think we did," he said.
The Blade we see in Marvel Zombies is unlikely to cross into any territory the MCU was going to explore in the live-action movie. This Blade is also a Moon Knight, by the looks of things, and is splitting zombies apart instead of vampires with his classic katana.
"I don't think we had any fear," co-showrunner Bryan Andrews added about the Marvel Zombies version of Blade. "It's Blade. We get Blade. But then this is [also] its own thing - it's Blade Knight. No matter what happens anywhere else, this is this and all bets are off. We all know Blade as a root beginning and then we're adding the Fist of Khonsu aspect to it. We were just able to go nuts and have a blast."