2 Years Later, Deadpool & Wolverine's 'Only One Blade' Joke Just Got A Lot More Real

Published Aug 3, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT ​​August is a freelance film writer. She studied journalism and cinema at American University. She is a member of the journalism honor society, Kappa Tau Alpha. August has written for various networks and publications, including PBS, Gargoyle Magazine, TheThings, and Identity Theory Magazine. Before returning to entertainment writing, August worked in the Automotive section of U.S. News & World Report. In her free time, August enjoys watching movies in theaters, watching movies at home, listening to podcasts about movies, reading books about movies, watching video essays on movies, talking about movies, thinking about movies, and doing crosswords. To fans of the original action-horror series, Wesley Snipes will forever be the one true Blade. In 2024, Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine movie echoed this sentiment with a scripted joke that just keeps getting better. Snipes portrayed Blade in the original live-action trilogy, which ran from 1998 to 2004. Ten years later, the actor made his MCU debut as Blade in the third Deadpool movie. During a high-action and high-comedy chase scene, Deadpool remarked that there had been "like five" Punishers. Hearing this, Snipes coolly stated, “There’s only been one Blade. There will only ever be one Blade.” This well-timed joke appeared to reference the multiple unsuccessful attempts to reboot Blade without Snipes over the years. The 2006 Blade TV series, starring Kirk Jones (a.k.a. Sticky Fingaz), lasted just 13 episodes. In 2019, the MCU announced development on a Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali in the central role. However, the production quickly began to split at the seams. Ali’s Blade film went through multiple script rewrites and three different directors. The heavily delayed live-action reboot became one of the most troubled projects in MCU history. The constant reboot delays made Deadpool & Wolverine's 2024 joke exceptionally humorous at the time. Following Ali's recent update on his involvement with the Blade reboot, Deadpool & Wolverine​​​​​'s two-year-old joke just became more accurate than ever. Mahershala Ali Seemingly Confirmed His MCU Exit As Blade Mahershala Ali announced that he has exited the fraught Blade reboot in a July 31, 2026, interview with GQ. Ali had been tied to the seemingly cursed reboot since its initial announcement seven years ago. Last month, the Academy Award-winning actor told GQ that while he prefers to “see things through,” the project was ultimately not for him. The actor went on to say that he is not particularly interested in remakes. “I don’t really want to be known for remakes,” Ali told GQ. “I’d love to do original work that resonates with people and impacts them in unique ways.” It is this sentiment that drew Ali to the original action film, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which premieres September 25, 2026. Ali likely remained attached to MCU's fraught Blade project for so long due to his contract with Marvel, which has since expired. The Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother actor clarified that if the Blade reboot is to move forward, it will not be with him as the titular character. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige responded to Ali's announcement on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, saying he felt “like a gigantic loser and failure” for not being able to get the project off the ground with Ali attached. However, the exact fate of MCU's reboot is currently unconfirmed. For now, Snipes remains the only live-action Blade. Technically, There's 1 Other Blade In The MCU For die-hard fans of the original trilogy, Snipes may forever be the one true Blade. Though technically there is one other such vampire-slayer currently in the MCU; the 4-episode Marvel Zombies animated series on Disney+ includes a Blade Knight character. The animated Blade dons the Moon Knight suit and bears a striking resemblance to actor Ali. This likeness makes sense as Ali was still signed on to appear as MCU’s new Blade at the time of the show’s release in September 2025. However, the animated Blade is voiced by Todd Williams, not Ali. The TV-MA series earned a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been renewed for a second season, making it the most successful non-Snipes Blade reproduction yet. Diligent Marvel fans will also know that Ali voiced Blade in a post-credits scene for the Eternals movie in 2021. In Ali’s brief vocal performance, Blade warned Dane Whitman against touching the Ebony Blade, saying, “You sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” Outside Ali's single line in Eternals, Snipes remains the MCU's reigning non-animated Blade. Whether "there will only ever be one Blade," as the Deadpool & Wolverine joke suggests, remains to be seen. Blade