Killing Mahershala off Luke Cage was a mistake. Marvel felt the same way apparently since he’s back…as Blade.

Anyone who watched the 1st season of Luke Cage walked away with the same thought….why did they kill off Mahershala Ali? Ali who played Harlem gangster Cottonmouth was not just the best villain in the short two seasons the show existed, he was also the most compelling actor on the show. Well Marvel has corrected that mistake. Mr. Ali will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as the character who saved Marvel from bankruptcy in the 1990’s, vampire killing day walker Blade.

Announced during Marvel’s phase 4 presentation Ali as Blade was definitely unexpected. Having an Oscar award winning actor take over the role from Wesley Snipes who was stellar is yet another grandmaster move by Kevin Feige and Marvel. It’s still early and details regarding the plot and the rest of the cast haven’t been announced. But what this means for the next phase of the is intriguing.

Blade and the also newly announced Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness represent the horror wing of the MCU. Its going to be interesting how the horror films genre get incorporated into what has been primarily family friendly films (minus Infinity War and Endgame which is enough to send anyone crying to the bathroom. Regardless MCU phase 4 is going to have a brand new day walker.