Marvel and vampires? Who would’ve thought that could go together. For not being extensively knowledgeable in comics myself, I was surprised.
Growing up, I never really thought about the lore in movies, nor the importance of character portrayals. By this, I am referring to the importance of diversity and race inclusion, because growing up I was ignorant of racism and the neglect of said representation.
Instead, I always fixated onto movies themselves and the characters in them. One of those movies (or trilogy actually), was Blade; I became a fanatic for the franchise and the main character.
If you don’t know of, nor have watched Blade, the movie features actor-film producer-author-martial artist Wesley Snipes as the main protagonist: a human-vampire, half breed, vampire slayer.
Blade’s mom was attacked and bitten by a vampire while she was pregnant. While Blade survived the birth, ultimately being born half vampire, he believed his mother had died.
The first film is generally him seeking for the vampire who bit his mother. The second film is about a new vampire species that feasts on vampires, so a vampire higher-up offers Blade a truce in order to wipe the species out. The third film is about vampires seeking Dracula out to help get rid of Blade.
Until 2019, I had not realized how big of a deal Blade was, being it was Marvel’s jumpstart to successful movies today. When it was brought to my attention, I began looking more into it to see how much recognition Blade and Snipes had received. I found there wasn’t a ton of recognition for either.
Snipes is like the Keanu Reeves to The Matrix, the Johnny Depp to Pirates of the Caribbean, the Arnold Schwarzenegger to The Terminator, the Chadwick Boseman to Black Panther. All icons in iconic franchises.
Blade may be the first hero movie to represent the African-American community, while Black Panther may be the first hero movie to represent both the African-American community and African community. Both in this modern era.
Black Panther at the time received incredible recognition for being directed and released in between a rising movement for more racial inclusion. We are still in the process of persuading diversity among society, and while Blade was an impeccable film starring a black main protagonist, that was in 1998.
With the news that we are receiving a reboot of Blade starring Mahershala Ali as the iconic half-human and half-vampire slayer, it’s what brought Blade back to today’s talk. Snipes has already voiced his support for Ali for the role. Perhaps the reboot will help shine a light on Snipes’ iconic performance in return.
Not only on his performance, but for the appreciation of the film getting Marvel started on its popularity today. While Snipes’ performance in the trilogy was stunning, he also helped produce in all three of them. Snipes is generally a fantastic actor (and general inspiration) having starred in movies all across the genre list.
As for Ali, I did not realize that I have seen him, though only in a few films. Such as, his voiceover for Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a small role of a character named Mombasa in Predators, and Boggs in part one and two of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
Looking back at Predators, I’m disappointed to realize he gets killed off really soon. I happen to be a huge fanatic for the predator franchise, and I hate to see character potential wasted in big franchises as such. Perhaps his small role in the film was just for getting out in the industry more.
Overall, I will have to watch more of Ali’s shows and movies to get an idea of what his capabilities and talents are as an actor. I am extremely excited for the Blade reboot nonetheless, because it is a childhood film for me.
I have re-watched the original trilogy so many times over the years that I practically memorized the script. Hopefully, the reboot can present the same hype. I look forward to it and I hope other fans do as well.
If you haven’t watched the original Blade then check out the 4K trailer below and see if it peaks your interest! I love the 4K trailer so much that I would buy it as its own DVD if that were possible. It shows the right amount of action and sneak peeks to not spoil the movie itself.
With that said, I hope my insight has enlightened you and I’d love to talk about this in-depth! If you’d like to see more of my random content or would like to contact me, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. You may also email me at jrnw99@gmail.com if you prefer.
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