Warning: Spoilers ahead for Marvel's Eternals

The reboot of Marvel Studios’ Blade will eclipse the original franchise by fitting into the MCU. As he is introduced to a new universe, the vampire hunter Blade is ready to make his bloody return to the silver screen. As a new arrival to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Blade will rise above the antihero’s first introduction on film.

After debuting in cinemas in 1998, the R-rated Marvel comic adaptation Blade proved to be a hit for New Line Cinema. Ultimately, Blade became Marvel’s first box office success, influencing a roster of Marvel superhero movies that followed in the new millennium. Spawning two sequels, Blade II and Blade: Trinity, the 1998 Blade set a dour tone for the titular character. In the end, the studio created a less-than-stellar trilogy for the black leather-clad Marvel horror icon as the series steadily got more ridiculous.

Related: Why Blade 4 With Wesley Snipes Never Happened

Overall, the MCU reboot of Blade will be better than the original because of the different sides that Blade can demonstrate within the larger established universe. Unlike the previous Wesley Snipes Blade adaptations, Mahershala Ali will be painted as a more interesting and nuanced figure this time around. This is because Blade will have a lot of different established characters to interact with in the MCU, plus some new ones. Additionally, Blade's reactions to various MCU people can be more layered than just having to respond to vampires and his mentor, Whistler. The expansive MCU will help Blade fully explore his robust personality in a new team setting.

Disney and Marvel Studios will elevate Blade to possess a better-developed persona, no longer boxed into the previous one-sided character mold. An MCU update of Blade will show a much more compelling Daywalker in a shared universe because Blade is granted more space to show his emotional range — a missing key from the original trilogy. As the reboot will incorporate Avengers-style elements of the MCU, Blade must be capable of showing a willingness to and potentially lead a team. This aspect of his character in the MCU was already teased in his introduction during the post-credits scene in 2021's Blade's cameo alongside Black Knight in the Eternals asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” when Kit Harington looked upon the Ebony Blade. While Snipes' Blade was portrayed as a loner, the MCU's Blade already showed willingness to reach out and give assistance to Dane Whitman, which is a positive personality trait that rounds out Blade's profile in team-building. Now that he can play with the large cast of the MCU, Marvel can show Blade as a multifaceted character with greater depth.