One of the forgotten success stories of Marvel characters in film is the Blade trilogy. The first film premiered in 1998, a decade before the Marvel Cinematic Universe and two years before X-Men came along, and changed superhero films as we knew them. The Blade films featured Wesley Snipes as the vampire hunter in one of the actor's most famous roles. Now with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in full swing, it seems like a perfect time for the actor to return to comic book fare as either Blade or a different Marvel character. But while Wesley Snipes is open to such possibilities, he believes that him playing anyone other than Blade could be problematic, as he explained:
There are other characters in the Marvel universe that, if they want to invite me to play around with, I am with that too. I think the fans have a hunger for me to revision the Blade character, so that could limit where they could place me as another character in that universe.
I understand Wesley Snipes' point here. He defined Blade on screen over the course of three films, and for many audiences that is his most recognizable role. So it is possible that fans would have difficulty seeing him as a different character. But fan desire for him to reprise Blade may partially just be overall interest in seeing the character again. If he is open to other possibilities, as he seemed to be while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, I am sure there are other characters that there are other Marvel characters that he would be perfect for.
I don't think that fans would reject Wesley Snipes in another Marvel role. First off, the last film was over a decade ago, and I would argue the average person doesn't even know that Blade is based on a comic book. Wesley Snipes did play the character for an entire trilogy, so fans certainly identify him in that role, but he wouldn't be the first actor to play different comic book roles. Ben Affleck was Daredevil and then Batman, Ryan Reynolds played Deadpool and then Green Lantern and then a different Deadpool. Most famously, Chris Evans was the Human Torch before he became the definitive Captain America. But should Marvel instead decide to continue Blade with Wesley Snipes instead of rebooting the character, he seems up for some more daywalking, saying:
I am very much open to all of the possibilities. If Blade 4 comes along, that is a conversation we can have.
Personally, I would love to see Wesley Snipes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the return of Blade. Whether these two things need to be one and the same is up for debate. The horror-type Marvel characters like Blade need to eventually find their way into the MCU as it continues to grow. There hasn't been an MCU horror film yet, and Blade would work perfectly for that, similar to how The New Mutants is bringing horror to Fox's X-verse. The character would also work great on TV in the Netflix-verse opposite Daredevil. As far as Wesley Snipes, despite being much older than the last time he played Blade, I think audiences would still welcome him back to the role if Marvel would have him. That said, if the company would prefer someone else to play Blade, Wesley Snipes is more than capable of taking on another Marvel character.
There are still a lot of questions about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe will head next with Infinity War and Avengers 4 on the horizon. The Disney and Fox deal could result in a lot of new characters getting MCU films as well. Marvel Studios continues to push the genre boundaries of superhero films while incorporating more obscure characters and storylines, so hopefully there is room for Wesley Snipes and the Blade character in all that.
