The alternate ending of 1998’s Marvel's vampire hunter Blade on the big screen can mark their calendars, as the MCU Blade movie is set to hit theaters on November 3, 2023 as part of the MCU’s Phase 5. Mahershala Ali will pick up the sword of Blade in the reboot, but the Wesley Snipes-led Blade movies could have an unused element that the new film could adapt.
In Blade, Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) and his cohorts perform a ritual to merge him with the vampire blood god La Magra. Blade’s original ending, available on home media releases of the film, saw Frost transform into a towering blood creature after ing with La Magra. Blade overcomes Frost by using syringes of EDTA, which reverts him to his normal self before Blade slays him with his sword.
Ultimately, Blade’s ending was re-shot with Blade and Frost battling each other in a sword fight, with Wesley Snipes's heroic Daywalker still using the EDTA to explode Frost. However, despite Blade’s original ending not being used, it does not necessarily need to be discarded forever. In fact, the MCU Blade movie might even be able to utilize the alternate ending in a way that could work better for it than it would have for the original Blade, due to the precedent it would set for the character and his ability to take down imposing monsters.
Blade's Original Ending Could Work Better In The MCU
Superhero movies had not risen to their modern mainstream status in the late ‘90s, and Blade remains revered to this day for being instrumental in their revival. Blade partially accomplished this by emphasizing itself as a Hong Kong-style action movie, which made the presentation of Blade and Frost’s showdown in the finished film arguably a much more fitting ending. The MCU version of Blade will debut with over two decades of comic book movie history and the long run of the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself behind him, making a monster in the vein of La Magra very much tailored towards it.
In the MCU’s history, aliens and other sorts of creatures like the Hulk, Thanos, and Dormammu have been a common presence throughout the franchise. Blade battling a blood monster similar to La Magra would be the next such creature in that vein, which could work well in establishing his place in the MCU. It would not even necessarily have to be La Magra once more or even the final boss Blade battles, as simply adopting the original conception of Blade’s alternate ending could give a great blueprint for such a monster foe to follow in introducing Mahershala Ali's take on Blade.
Alternate endings are some of the most intriguing special features included on home media releases, and Blade’s was quite a treat to see. While the sword showdown Blade ended up going with was the most appropriate choice for it, the Blade alternate ending of Frost transforming into La Magra’s full form might also have left a template for its MCU successor to adopt. The Blade reboot will likely take some influence from the Wesley Snipes movies, and reworking the original’s unused ending could be one of the best methods of doing so.
