Now that Avengers: Endgame (and Spider-Man: Far From Home, to a technical but lesser extent) has wrapped up the Infinity Saga for Marvel Studios, the House of Ideas can truly take their multi-billion dollar franchise anywhere they want. Even though we know where Phase Four is headed and what Phase Five might become, we don’t actually know what these films may look like.
Between the teased hyper-violence of Black Widow and the promised horror aspects of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness though, it seems like we’re in for a much darker MCU future. But what does this mean for the upcoming Blade movie announced at the end of the studio’s SDCC 2019 panel? Could the vampire slayer usher in a new phase of R-Rated Marvel films?
Disney isn’t exactly the first studio that comes to mind when one thinks of a hard R-rating, but Wesley Snipes’ version of the Daywalker is known for his violent tendencies and language that could give Captain America a stroke.
We don’t know much about the MCU’s plan for Blade, but we know the story was pitched by star Marhershala Ali himself in a post-Oscars meeting earlier this year. There’s no doubt it will delve into a vampiric underworld we’ve yet to see in a Marvel Studios film, but just how grotesque these monsters will look and behave is really up to the House of Mouse. They’ve made billions upon billions of dollars playing it safe with superhero films the entire family can enjoy, so who knows if they’d be willing to loosen their grip for the sake of a more adult character.
We know Disney has previously stated that though their take on Deadpool would be new, it wouldn’t sacrifice the R-rated humor the character is known for. Yet, Kevin Feige made no mention of a Deadpool 3 (or Disney Plus series, or a crossover with Spider-Man), aside from a “mutants” tease while closing the Comic-Con panel. As such, until we know for sure what the future of the Merc with a Mouth will hold, Blade could be our best bet for seeing the MCU’s take on an F-bomb dropping, murderous vigilante. We’ll just have to wait until Phase Five to find out for sure.