Marvel Abandons 'Blade' as New MCU Slate Revealed

Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios just returned to Hall H at San Diego ComicCon. The Marvel Studios President took to the stage to outline some altered plans for Phase Five and Phase Six and confirm rumors that have floated in recent days.

Perhaps the most significant announcement of Marvel’s ComicCon presentation was the confirmation that Anthony Russo and Joe Russo—AKA the Russo Brothers—would helm the fifth and sixth Avengers franchise movies.

The duo–who previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019)–took to the stage to announce their return to the franchise with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).

Doomsday is the reworked Avengers: The Kang Dynasty movie and will see Doctor Doom officially enter the MCU, played by none other than Robert Downey Jr. The Oscar-winner previously starred as Tony Stark/Iron Man for over a decade, and while his return was rumored, he was the biggest surprise of the presentation.

But while the Doom of it all has been the talk amongst fans, Feige did also touch on the upcoming 2025 slate, including Captain America: Brave New World (2025), Thunderbolts* (2025), and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)–the latter’s subtitle was newly added, too.

Related: Wesley Snipes Confirms ‘Blade’ Role in MCU

Cast members from across the 2025 slate, such as Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), were present to discuss their movies, but one noticeably absent project was Blade.

After numerous delays, the MCU’s first Blade movie, set for November 2025, seems completely off the slate. Mahershala Ali was cast as the vampire hunter back in 2019 and teased in 2021’s Eternals during Dane Whitman’s (Kit Harington) interaction with the Ebony Blade.

Yet, Blade has languished in development hell with a revolving door of writers and directors, the latest being Yann Demange, who recently exited the project. Over the years, Stacy Osei-Kaffeur, Bassam Tariq, Michael Starbury, Michael Green, and Nic Pizzolato have all been attached in writing and directing capacities. Mia Goth is also set to star alongside Ali.

This development turmoil, coupled with Iger’s stringent release policy of no more than three movies per year, casts doubt on Blade’s 2025 debut. Adding to the complexity, Mahershala Ali is also committed to Universal’s Jurassic World 4, which is currently filming. This project, rumored to be called Jurassic City or even Jurassic World Rebirth, is expected to premiere on July 2, 2025.

These challenges, alongside the movie’s obvious omission from Hall H, considerably suggest that Marvel will abandon its 2025 Blade release, leaving fans wondering if they’ll ever see the iconic vampire hunter return.

Before Marvel returned to Hall H at San Diego ComicCon this year, Kevin Feige discussed the struggling Blade.

“For the last few years, we’ve been trying to crack that movie,” Feige said in a recent interview with Black Tree TV. “I think the most important thing for us is not rushing it and making sure that we’re making the right Blade movie because there were some great Blade movies years ago.” He is, of course, referencing the trilogy featuring Wesley Snipes as the daywalker, or Dhampir.

This was just the latest in a long string of self-aware comments from Marvel Studios executives and its greater House of Mouse overseers. The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios have transparently acknowledged the need for a significant refresh of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Just weeks ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a tighter grip on the MCU franchise. Marvel Studios will no longer have free reign; instead, Disney will cap the annual output at three films and two TV shows. This decision, coupled with a creative overhaul of the television sector and Brad Winderbaum’s confirmation of a “new system” at the studio, follows what has been the MCU’s most challenging year to date.

In 2023, Marvel suffered from the disappointing performances of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels, alongside the poorly-received series Secret Invasion, starring Samuel L. Jackson. Despite The Marvels hitting franchise-low box office numbers, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is set for a return.

This regrouping effort has led Disney and Marvel to limit this year’s releases to just one film: Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). The move is already paying off, as Forbes reports the movie has shattered pre-sale records for an R-rated film and opened with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Related: Marvel Cuts MCU’s ‘Captain America 4,’ Reveals Instant Replacement

With Deadpool & Wolverine already reigniting interest in the MCU, all eyes will soon turn to the future with Marvel Phase Five and the dawn of Phase Six, which includes the introduction of Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four.

Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) are set to star in Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

What are your thoughts on the recent Marvel news from SDCC? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!