The problem with every single Marvel Cinematic Universe movie – and a lot of the Disney Plus shows – dropping a post-credits stinger is that they often take years to pay off, and even one of the most obvious that seemingly pointed in a definitive direction isn’t going to be picked up anytime soon.
In keeping with the issues that have plagued his entire association with the franchise so far, Mahershala Ali’s Blade made about the most inauspicious debut possible when his first appearance as the Daywalker was a voice-only cameo in the stinger of Eternals.
Naturally, everyone assumed the implication was for Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman – who’d just unveiled the Ebony Sword to set up his evolution into Black Knight – would factor into the upcoming Blade reboot in one way or another.
It’s sound reasoning and entirely logical, but Harington dumped a bucket of cold water all over the notion when he revealed at the Superhero Comic-Con and Car Show that at no point was he ever scheduled to show up.
“The honest answer is I think that’s the intention with the character. I think there was some misunderstanding about whether he was going to be in the Blade movie. He was never meant to be in the Blade movie and isn’t. At this stage, I don’t know. At this stage, I hope he gets used. I know there’s some really fascinating parts of that character which would be beneficial to delve into and interesting, which is the aspects around his mental health things and specifically about addiction with that character which I think is really interesting.”
Of course, he could be doing what many MCU alumni have done before and simply lie through his teeth, but it would certainly be fitting for a production as cursed as Blade to debut its title character with the specific purpose of tethering itself to one of the superhero saga’s worst-reviewed installments, only to completely ignore it in favor of suffering repeated behind the scenes setbacks.