Wesley Snipes Appearing As Blade In Doctor Strange 2?
Is the former Blade showing up?
This article is more than 2 years old
Spider-Man who? While most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fan base spent the last year nitpicking every detail to Spider-Man: No Way Home, curiosity paid off, as most of the rumors surrounding popular character comebacks proved true following the film’s theatrical release. But was the Spider-Man hype so large that it allowed Marvel execs to perfectly hide the vast amount of epic returns for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? While fans are certain we will at least see one popular X-Men actor reprise his role, some fans are now certain that Wesley Snipes’ Blade will also make his triumphant return in Doctor Strange 2.
When the Doctor Strange trailer first premiered at the beginning of this year’s Super Bowl, fans were quick to dissect the quick 2-minute trailer. Certainly, with a lot to unwrap, some fans believe that Wesley Snipes was actually seen in the trailer. In fact, they may just have a strong case in a simple detail as to why they believe it to be the 59-year-old actor. The scene in question appears around the 1:15 timestamp. As Doctor Strange is taken in shackles to an undisclosed location, he is greeted by a shadowy group of men that fans have come to believe will be Marvel’s group of defenders, The Illuminati. One shadowy character, in particular, is seen walking, his silhouette holding a blade. You can watch the trailer below, and we’ve also added a screenshot of the moment fans believe reveals Snipes as Blade. The figure many believe to be Snipes is to the right of Strange, between two chairs.
Fans of Wesley Snipe’s portrayal of the superhero Blade will certainly understand the significance of the sword, the ebony blade as the superhero’s legendary weapon. While it’s true that the figure could have been that of Mahershala Ali, the young actor Marvel hired to portray the hero next, the MCU’s history has proven more than once that anything is possible. Furthermore, it makes sense to have the older variants portraying members of the Illuminati.
There is plenty of speculation on this theory, including the fact that Blade was never a member of the Illuminati in the comics. However, the MCU is known to loosely base its material on the comics, and the studio doesn’t necessarily keep everything canon. There was, in fact, one member of the Illuminati that fans are sure made his appearance in the Doctor Strange trailer. During that same frame, one of the silhouette figures speaks to Doctor Strange, and it’s a dead-ringer for the voice of Patrick Stewart — who portrayed Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X in the Fox’s X-Men franchise. With fans already being sure that one iconic actor will appear, it’s promising for the return of Wesley Snipes.
Wesley Snipes portrayed Blade for three films spanning nearly a decade. The character was first created by Marv Wolfman for Marvel Comics in 1973. But it wasn’t until Snipes portrayed the vigilante in 1998’s film that the franchise would receive a monumental following. In the lore, Blade’s mother was bitten by a vampire during labor. This turns Blade into something of a vampire/human hybrid, with all of the strengths of vampires but none of the weaknesses. Because sunlight doesn’t hurt him, the vampires know him as “Daywalker.” In the first film, Blade grows up to become a vampire hunter, swearing vengeance for his mother. The film quickly became a commercial success spawning two more films. Blade won over the hearts of moviegoers before even X-Men or the first Spider-Man franchise debuted.
