The MCU’s New Vampire Can Explain Why Blade Didn’t Appear Until Phase 4

Marvel’s latest casting decision, reportedly of a character called Vampire By Night, could potentially explain why Blade and vampires haven’t been seen in the MCU until Phase 4. In 2019, Marvel Studios announced that they had finally cast their most famous vampire hunter. Two-time Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali had contacted Marvel asking to play Blade, shortly after winning his Academy Award for Green Book. “When Marhershala calls, you answer,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige observed.

Marvel Studios regained the film rights to Blade in 2013, and they essentially sat on them for years; there were occasional rumors they were toying with possibilities, but none of these materialized until Ali’s fateful phone call. The problem is, though, that a decade into building the MCU, Marvel now have to explain why Blade hasn’t turned up before now. Even worse, because Blade is a vampire hunter, they also have to explain why the Avengers have never found themselves clashing with vampires. There have been occasional references to the undead – notably in Thor: Ragnarok and Loki episode 4, with TVA agent Mobius comparing them to the Kree and Titans like Thanos. But why haven’t Earth’s Mightiest Heroes ever gone up against them? Surprisingly, a recent casting decision may have hinted at an answer.

Marvel has recently cast The Nevers star Laura Donnelly for a role in their upcoming Werewolf By Night Halloween special. Although the studio is refusing to officially comment on the casting, there have been reports she’s playing a unique character from the comics – Vampire By Night, a werewolf who was bitten by a vampire and thus carries both curses. The interaction between the curses means she is one of the few werewolves to regain human intelligence while in her animal form. But – should Vampire By Night actually be coming into the MCU, as is reportedly the case – a subtle detail in her comic book origin story, which suggests vampires are actually pretty rare, would be helpful for Marvel Studios.

According to Amazing Fantasy #10, vampires should be seen as alpha predators who don’t like creating competition. Presumably their immortality means they do not feel the urge to reproduce, to create more of their kind, and only rarely do they sire new vampires; other biological urges are warped, so it would make sense for this one to be affected by the curse of the vampire as well. The MCU’s vampires could follow this same approach, which would mean vampires would be a lot rarer than they were in the Blade films – and it’s likely the few who do exist have maneuvered their way into positions of power as well. Vampire legends give them powers such as the ability to hypnotize others, so the vampires in the world could be senior politicians, businessmen, and notable crime lords.

This would also transform Blade’s story. In an interview with The Playlist Podcast, Blade director Bassam Tariq has noted “the reality is there is no Blade canon … unfortunately, the runs never lasted that long.” This means the MCU’s Blade reboot can ignore the comics, blazing its own trail, and it could do so by having Blade serve as a different kind of vampire hunter. If this Blade is only up against a small number of vampires who have positioned themselves in places of power and influence, then he’d be as much a detective as a slayer – tracking down vampire conspiracies, operating in the shadows because he’s up against powerful enemies who could send entire armies up against him. This would be a very different kind of Blade – one who would only cross paths with others when he actually needs their help.