Wesley Snipes Becomes the Greatest Marvel Star Ever

Wesley Snipes is now the single greatest Marvel star ever, according to both the Guinness Book of Records and Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds.

Wesley Snipes as Blade — Credit: New Line Cinema

Although Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans might be some of the more recognizable and beloved stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (with respect to Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Paul Rudd), that entire franchise was built on the goodwill that Marvel Comics fans had for earlier series.

As evidenced by the box office grosses of Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences have a pretty huge nostalgia streak for the Fox X-Men movies and, to a lesser extent, the Fantastic Four movies.

But even before Hugh Jackman donned the claws or Jessica Alba disappeared, there was one beloved Marvel Comics movie adaptation: Blade (1998), starring Wesley Snipes as the Daywalker.

A person wearing black sunglasses and a black leather jacket is smiling in the foreground. Behind them stands another person with bright red hair and a person with a bald head, both partially visible. The background is dark and industrial. — Credit: New Line Cinema

Now that Disney is revealing actual promo shots of the many Fox movie characters who appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, we’re not too afraid of getting called out for spoilers.

But it was to the surprise of many early audiences when Wesley Snipes appeared back on the big screen as Blade, alongside Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, and, of course, the people’s favorite, Channing Tatum as Gambit.

Wesley Snipes’ return as Blade marks 25 years and 340 days since he first appeared in Blade, the Stephen Norrington film that kicked off the modern run of Marvel movies. This means that he leapfrogged his co-star Hugh Jackman and now holds the Guinness Record for the longest career as a live-action Marvel character.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in 'Deadpool & Wolverine' — Credit: Marvel Studios

But that’s not the only record he gained because of Deadpool & Wolverine. Guinness has also awarded him the “longest gap between character appearances in Marvel films,” based on his last appearance as the character in Blade: Trinity (2004), which not-so-coincidentally also co-starred Ryan Reynolds.

This time around, it was Alfred Molina and his 17-year gap as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) who lost the record.

Wesley Snipes as Blade dressed in black tactical gear is crouching and baring their teeth fiercely. They have a focused, intense expression and prominent, sharp-looking canines. The background is blurred, emphasizing the person's expression and pose. — Credit: New Line Cinema

Given that Wesley Snipes currently holds two different world records for playing a Marvel character, we feel pretty comfortable describing him as the “greatest.”

Ryan Reynolds took to Twitter to further laud his co-star, posting, “There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send off. #DeadpoolAndWolverine”

There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send off. #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/wGv2ixBT8G

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 5, 2024

There is no word yet on whether Wesley Snipes could get his Old Man Blade film, but Ryan Reynolds certainly has a lot of clout right now to get his dream projects completed. That’s usually a perk of having the biggest movie in the world and one that will very likely be the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.

On the other hand, Marvel Studios has been promising a Blade movie set in the MCU for years now, starring Mahershala Ali as the fearless vampire killer. But, well, maybe Wesley Snipes said it best: “There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.”

Do you want a final movie with Wesley Snipes as Blade?