It’s decision time. You might think that after Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel would have money to burn on a couple of projects they’re not entirely sure about, but in actual fact it seems the situation is the exact opposite — with one mega-smash rehabilitating the franchise’s image, the studio is keen to keep as high a hit rate as possible, so that means some movies on the bubble might get popped.
Two such films whose futures are in frenzy? The long-suffering Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker, and the oft-forgotten Armor Wars, which would finally give Don Cheadle his own vehicle as War Machine. Both of these films have been in the works for half a decade at this point, but it might all end up counting for nothing. That is, if the latest rumored intel is to be believed. Insider Daniel Richtman has shared that Marvel will allegedly make a final decision on the fates of both Blade and Armor Wars by the time 2024 is out.
Unsurprisingly, fans are using this as an opportunity to hand Marvel some unsolicited advice over what they should do with these two projects. The studio’s getting so many two cents thrown at them, in fact, that they might just want to open a wishing well. For starters, many seem to think that if one has to die so the other can live then the survivor should be Armor Wars.
Some believe Blade‘s pre-production purgatory means it should be sent straight to hell.
Not that folks hate the idea of Ali playing Blade. Other suggested retooling Blade as a Midnight Sons team-up movie.
Some more cynical sorts think that this talk of a final decision is just hot air and the fact Marvel hasn’t made either of them yet means their fates have already been sealed.
If Marvel is really planning on cancelling both, however, this is not exactly a great look, considering that these are two projects featuring Black leads — something that’s still a rarity in the MCU, even in a post-Black Panther world.
If Marvel could get their act together on these films then the fans would embrace them with open arms, but as it is, their hype has been curtailed thanks to to studio “mismanagement.”
To date, Ali’s sole contribution to the MCU is an uncredited voiceover cameo in the Eternals post-credits scene (a planned crossover with Kit Harington’s Black Knight was written out of the movie long ago). Cheadle’s Rhodie, meanwhile, was last seen in Secret Invasion, which heavily implied the real War Machine had been replaced by a Skrull since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, so that’s something we definitely need addressed, whether that’s in Armor Wars or otherwise.
In an unfortunate coincidence, fears that Marvel is cancelling its Black-led projects is coming hot on the heels of fired X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo accusing studio execs of making racist comments and establishing a prejudicial working environment. Even if both Blade and Armor Wars do bite the bullet, though, it should be stressed that upcoming Disney Plus series Ironheart and Wonder Man both have Black actors in the lead.