I’d drop a spoiler warning for Deadpool & Wolverine, but at this point, everything from this movie has been splattered all over the internet. I will give away one joke though, so take heed, traveler.
Anyway, as everyone has seen by now, Wesley Snipes makes a cameo as Blade, which was very surprising if you know anything about the troubled production of Blade: Trinity. That movie was basically retooled into a vehicle for Ryan Reynolds’ Hannibal King because Snipes wouldn’t stop smoking weed in his trailer and only communicated via Post-It notes. That’s all water under the bridge now.
Heading into a major battle in the film, Deadpool and the Cameo Bunch have a quippy discussion about multiversal variants where it’s revealed that no Blade variants have been seen yet. That prompts Snipes’ vampire hunter to pronounce, “There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” Because the movie is nothing but an epic dump all over the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Deadpool looks directly at the camera and one interpretation of the gag just got very likely.
The first read is that Deadpool is looking at the audience like, “Who wants to tell him?” because MCU fans know that a Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali is in the works. There’s definitely going to be more than one Blade. — Or is there?
The second read is that Ali’s Blade movie has been losing directors left and right and may never see the light of day. So Deadpool’s glance at the camera could also be read as, “You heard the man, folks,” and that’s looking like the case.
In a new Instagram post, Reynolds made a public push to bring back Snipes as Blade. Considering Deadpool & Wolverine made a bajillion dollars and quite literally saved the MCU (for the moment), Reynolds has some significant juice. Unlike the messy It Ends With Us drama, this is the lane where Reynolds should be throwing his weight around.
“The reaction when [Wesley Snipes] enters the movie is the most intense thing I’ve heard in a theater,” Reynolds wrote. “People screaming with uninhibited joy and love is also the sound of a legacy. More Blade please. … A Logan-style send off, specifically.”
Here’s the thing: This post isn’t the first time that Reynolds has pushed a Logan-style movie featuring Snipes’ Blade. Back in early August when the Deadpool & Wolverine victory laps were in full swing, Reynolds pitched the idea on Twitter by correctly noting that the first Blade was the spark that kicked off the superhero boom as we know it.
“There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market,” Reynolds tweeted. “He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send off.”
There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send off. #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/wGv2ixBT8G
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 5, 2024
Of course, this whole campaign raises serious questions about what the heck happens to Mahershala Ali as Blade, and none of the outcomes look good. From my idiot vantage point, it sure seems like he’s about to be collateral damage if Reynolds starts calling shots at Marvel. However, I’d like to stress the word “idiot” back there, so who knows what will happen?
For an actual smart take, here’s Tori, who fully appreciated the irony of the situation: “You know, this could be some decent karma in action. Like Wesley Snipes is an a**hole, but we deserve a good Blade and he deserves to have his career reliant upon Ryan f**king Reynolds.”
(Via Ryan Reynolds on Instagram)