"Living Legend", Fans Say Goodbye to 'Blade' Star

Before Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot, there was Wesley Snipes’ Blade (1998).

Related: After ‘X-Men’ Icon Fired by Disney, Upcoming Sequel Release Uncertain: Report

In the original Blade film series (1998), Blade/Eric Brooks (Wesley Snipes) was a half-vampire or “dhampir” vampire hunter who was trained by mentor and weapons expert Abraham Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson.

The hit 1990s Blade franchise introduced audiences to bad guy Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), Blade‘s primary antagonist; Karen Jenson (N’Bushe Wright), a hematologist searching for a cure; Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), a former vampire hunter; and Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), Whistler’s (Kristofferson) daughter and a vampire hunter introduced in 2004’s Blade: Trinity.

The film franchise had such a cult following that Wesley Snipes even said goodbye to the character in 2024’s MCU blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine.

Fans Say Goodbye to Blade Legend

It was announced via the Associated Press that country music legend and Blade star Kristofferson, who played the iconic Whistler died last Saturday at his home in Maui, Hawaii, at the age of 88.

Described as “a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma,” Kristofferson wrote several country hits, including “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He was also known for collaborating with other artists like Janis Joplin and Ray Price.

In addition to being a major force in Wesley Snipes’ Blade, the multi-talented musician also starred in director Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) and opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (1976).

Fans online jumped to give tribute to the iconic actor, with many chiming in to pay respects.

Jordan Jones on X/Twitter wrote a tribute on behalf of the Marvel community:

The Marvel Community would like to pay our respect to Kris Kristofferson, who played Abraham Whistler in the 'Blade' trilogy.

Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/HfVPibkf5f

— Jordan Jones (@jordnjnes) September 29, 2024

Meanwhile, @Supernalwings shared a heartwarming tale of the Blade star’s:

I know Kris Kristofferson from Blade but this story of him flying a helicopter into Johhny Cash’s yard is both hilarious & I can almost hear Kris laugh’s which seemed warm. Life is to be enjoyed & when you have a dream, sometimes you have to just take a risk. #krisKristofferson

I know Kris Kristofferson from Blade but this story of him flying a helicopter into Johhny Cash's yard is both hilarious & I can almost hear Kris laugh's which seemed warm. Life is to be enjoyed & when you have a dream, sometimes you have to just take a risk. #krisKristofferson pic.twitter.com/kl4YKnwHeo

— Celestial Spirit 🖤🇺🇦 🍜 🐰 (@Supernalwings) September 30, 2024

@MenAreStillGud remembers the star for his memorable quote:

#RIP Kris Kristofferson who I knew more for his peculiar name, to my ears, and as an actor rather that singer/songwriter.

Acting that gave the world the role of Abraham Whistler in the BLADE movie + the memorable line, "This smells like a vampire wiped his ass with it. pic.twitter.com/rKjE0mAZTW

— MenAreStillGood🇺🇸 (@MenAreStillGud) September 30, 2024

User u/BigButter7 reacted to the news on Reddit:

RIP to the living legend

Comment
byu/Tornado31619 from discussion
inMarvelStudiosSpoilers

It definitely seems that the once-living legend will continue to remain a legend, even in death.

More on the MCU’s Blade Reboot

The old-school Avengers are essentially disbanded, and the remaining superheroes of Earth are on the brink of total Doomsday, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to conclude the Multiverse Saga. This current narrative will culminate with the upcoming releases of Avengers: Doomsday (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars in the MCU’s future.

Related: Iron Man’s Greatest Creations Will Seemingly Live Again in the MCU

Leading up to this, Marvel President Kevin Feige aims to shift the MCU towards a more “grounded” and “street-level” approach following the firing of Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), who played Kang the Conqueror. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker, whose upcoming Spider-Man 4 will follow the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock, are expected to lead this street-level team.

On the other hand, the MCU’s “supernatural-level” team is speculated to introduce a United Kingdom (UK) based Avengers team, likely revolving around the supernatural-themed Midnight Sons team from Marvel Comics.

Key to this will be a rebooted Blade franchise with Mahershala Ali in the lead role of Blade/Eric Brooks — a film rife with production issues. It has been scrapped multiple times, and had multiple directors and key creatives leave.

The list includes director Bassam Tariq and Stacy Osei-Kuffour, who were replaced by Emmy-nominated writer Michael Starrbury and writer Nic Pizzolatto. Those two also eventually departed the project, subsequently replaced by director Yann Demange and writer Michael Green, who have now also left.

Mia Goth has reportedly been considered for the role of Lilith, the antagonist in Blade.

Potential members of this “Midnight Suns” supernatural hero team include Jennifer Kale, portrayed by Sasheer Zamata, who first appeared in the WandaVision (2021) sequel Agatha All Along (2024), previously titled Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Agatha: House of Harkness, and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.

There are also rumors of Ghost Rider, possibly featuring Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Johnny Blaze from the 2007 Ghost Rider film.

In Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the MCU, also eventually joins the team.

Additionally, there is a (slim) chance that Morbius the Living Vampire (played by Jared Leto in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, or SSU) could join the lineup.

Do you have memories of this Blade legend? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.