One character that many fans seem to most want to see returned to the big screen is Blade, a character immortalized by Wesley Snipes in a trio of theatrical movies from the late 1990s-early 2000s. Many cite the first ‘Blade’, released in 1998, as the kick-off to the current multiverse of huge superhero movies. But while it sounds as though Blade may be returning, the latest rumor is that it won’t be on the big screen. MCU Cosmic reports that a ‘Blade’ TV series may be headed to Hulu.
Spike aired one season of a ‘Blade’ TV series in 2006-07, based on the films, but with Sticky Fingaz replacing Snipes.
Just yesterday, it was revealed that Elizabeth Hurley had been cast as the ancient sorceress Morgan Le Fay on Hulu’s ‘Runaways’. I personally don’t recall this character ever popping up in the ‘Runaways’ comic book, but it’s been a long time since I read them. But this could be an attempt to bring a darker, mystical tone to the series in order to make it a better fit for upcoming shows. In early May, it was announced that Hulu had ordered two new supernatural Marvel series, ‘Ghost Rider’ and ‘Helstrom’.
That was followed by a rumor that a character named Glyph was also being eyed to receive a series on Hulu. This character, real name: Nadeen Hassan, premiered in the ‘Howling Commandos’ comic and can summon ancient Egyptian spirits.
That connection could tie into another character whose name has been mentioned often regarding either a film or TV series– Moon Knight.
Shortly after that, it was reported that Marvel had filed trademarks for TV shows for ‘Ghost Rider’, ‘Helstrom’, ‘Glyph’, and… ‘Spirits of Vengeance’.
While Netflix crafted a shared universe of street-level vigilantes, with ‘Daredevil’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Luke Cage’, ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Defenders’, and ‘The Punisher’, it appears that Hulu could be forming a block of programming focusing on the mystical side of the Marvel Universe. It wouldn’t be too hard to imagine that ‘Spirits of Vengeance’ will be Hulu’s equivalent of ‘Defenders’, uniting the various anti-heroes once they have all been established in their own series.
Disney, who owns Marvel, recently became the sole owner of Hulu. While there are plans for some Marvel series on Disney+, those will be family-friendly, and will originate from Marvel Studios, who make the movies. These shows on Hulu originate from Marvel Television, a separate entity, and judging by ‘Runaways’, can be a little edgier and darker. ‘Blade’ would certainly benefit from these more relaxed regulations.
In the comics, Blade has been elevated in prominence, having recently joined the Avengers, alongside Ghost Rider, and he will be the focus of an upcoming “event” storyline. This could be a positive sign that there are bigger plans for this Daywalker to walk in live-action once more.
For now, this is just a rumor, but stay tuned for updates.
