We’ll never know the full extent of what stopped Mahershala Ali’s Blade movie from ever seeing the light of day, but the silver lining is that Marvel Studios‘ failed vampire entry instead gave us the Oscar-winner’s new one, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which has been a massive hit with critics.
In an interview with Deadline, Ali was asked just how much time he spent getting prepped to don the title of Daywalker and wield a sword like him, only for everything to turn to dust. “Oh, absolutely. For a year, yeah. A little more than a year. I’m actually really grateful. They helped pay for our movie, so thank you. I got to go train for a year, so at this point, I’m so grateful that they made a wonderful contribution to our film.”
This contribution has certainly paid off, with the new movie from director Bassam Tariq (who was once set on helming Blade before leaving the project) sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. Their new action thriller from MGM Studios follows Latif (Ali), a religious hitman who is also a loyal and devoted father.
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Unfortunately, these two worlds collide, forcing Latif to travel across Houston to try to keep his children safe and cutting down anyone who tries to stop him. Zachary Lee of The Wrap was blown away by the film, saying, “What Ali, Tariq and the collaborators have assembled feels not just like kismet but divinely ordained, as if this was the movie they were always meant to make.”
Unfortunately, Ali has put a solid stake through any chance of returning to the MCU, with his only contribution being an off-screen appearance in Eternals and his likeness used in season 1 of Marvel Zombies. “I’m done. I’m doing this and anything moving forward,” he confirmed. “I’m over that. I’m done with that.”
There’s no question that Marvel Studios endured an array of blips trying to map out their universe in a post-Endgame era, but Blade always felt like the one that could’ve been so easily avoided. The signs were all there for a truly great addition to the MCU, and perhaps somewhere in the TVA offices, there’s a timeline where it actually worked out. Now, though, that particular comic book world is too focused on Doctor Doom and mutants making their appearance to make space for a vampire hunter.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother releases in theaters on September 25. For more, check out every other upcoming Marvel movie and show that we hope doesn’t go the way of Blade.