MCU’s ‘Blade’ Finally Gets First Look, Thanks to ‘What If…?’ Concept Art

Poor old Blade. MCU fans have been eager to see Mahershala Ali portray the Day Walker on the big screen since the movie was announced way back in 2019. While the movie itself is stuck in development purgatory, fans finally have their first look at what Ali could look like as Blade… kind of. His live-action debut might still be a ways off, but Ali’s Blade has technically already debuted in the MCU, in the animated series, What If…?. A brief glimpse of the character was shown in the Season 3 finale, and the character is set to return in Marvel Zombies. Ahead of Zombies‘ release later this year, Marvel fans have their best look yet at Ali as Blade.

Official concept art depicting Mahershala Ali as Blade was released on Instagram by Marvel concept artist, Justin Kim. The version of the character in What If…? isn’t a faithful depiction of Blade, as the series depicted the Day Walker as the new Moon Knight (played by Oscar Isaac in the MCU). “For my final What if…? post, I had the privilege of designing Blade as Moon Knight,” wrote Kim in the post’s caption, continuing:

“My goal was to utilize the wrappings of Moon Knight to create sharp shapes and make it seem like he could pull a blade from anywhere on his body. I also figured both characters alluded to being a sort of ninja, so I pushed that archetype.”

The character is clearly modeled after Mahershala Ali, and has given fans the best idea of what the Oscar-winning actor’s version of Blade could look like, if that movie ever gets made. The Blade/Moon Knight variant is set to return in Marvel Zombies, based on the best-selling comic book run of the same name. As the title suggests, the series will feature several MCU heroes having succumbed to a zombie virus, with the survivors having to fight off the superpowered undead. Marvel Zombies premieres on Disney+ on October 3, 2025.

What Is Going On With the MCU’s ‘Blade’?

Blade might be one of the MCU’s most troubled productions to date. Over its six-year-long development, the film has had three release dates, all of which were delayed. Most recently, the film was slated for a November 2025 release. However, given that the scripts haven’t even been completed yet, that’s about as likely as seeing the Eternals return to the MCU.

Some of Blade‘s delays were caused by external factors, namely the COVID pandemic and the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Bassam Tariq was tapped to direct the film, but he had to drop out of the project in 2022 due to his schedule on other movies having been delayed by the pandemic. Yann Demange took over from Tariq, but he also had to drop out in 2024. The original cast, which included Ali and A24 star, Mia Goth, are still attached to the project. However, Blade fans are desperately waiting for a positive update on the movie’s development, as the film is currently without a release date or window.

Source: Instagram