If not for Wesley Snipes andBlade, would we even have the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it today? According to many Marvel fans, absolutely not. On Twitter, a tweet that has since gone viral credits Tobey Maguire’sSpider-Manand Hugh Jackman’sX-Menmovies for the birth of the MCU. The tweet notes that “we would’ve never gotten the MCU” if not for the success of these movies.
It was not long beforeBladefans started chiming in. Now, Snipes is currently trending as thousands of fans praise the actor and the originalBladetrilogy. Because Snipes first appeared in the role in 1998’sBlade, which was a huge hit at the box office, the counter-argument is that it wasWesley Snipeswho really set the stage for movies likeSpider-ManandX-Mento follow. That would of course lead to the formation of the MCU with theIron Manmovies and beyond.
“Bladecreated the funds for everything we seeMCU,” writes one fan on Twitter. “Wesley brought Marvel back to life. Put respect on that whole name Wesley Snipes.”
Another tweet reads, “It was Wesley Snipes' Blade. Marvel was bankrupt & sold off all major properties. Blade was a last ditch effort to save studio from closure. The success of Blade paved way for Iron Man & MCU. If not for Wesley Snipes, There’d be no MCU.”
“Bladeis the movie that made Marvel studios what it is,” says someone else. “Wesley Snipes deserves more credit than he is given. Marvel didn’t have a successful movie, show or series beforeBlade. Wesley Snipes is the g.o.a.t.. No one can tell me different.”
There are many, many other tweets echoing these same sentiments. Hoping that giving Snipes his due credit will stick, another fan wrote, “We need a point in time when people will no longer need to be reminded or corrected of the fact that Wesley Snipes in Blade is what gave us the MCU. Wesley Snipes saved Marvel from bankruptcy.”
Of course, theSpider-ManandX-Menfranchises both certainly played important roles in the evolution of Marvel movies on the big screen. Even so, they were not thefirstMarvel property to score big at the box office, and it’s fair to give credit to Snipes and theBladeteam for showing just how successful Marvel movies can be when done right. There’s a reason those movies remain so popular all of these years later, even though we haven’t seen Snipes in the role since 2004.
When word had broken that Marvel was rebootingBladefor the MCU, Snipes had expressedhis desire to return to the role. Many Marvel fans were also on board with the idea, as the Snipes version of the character is still very popular. Mahershala Ali has since been cast to lead theBladereboot, though Snipes has endorsed the actor in the role with his full blessing.
“To all theDAYWALKERSlosing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” Snipes said in a statement at the time, via Comicbook.com. “Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL good. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew - always a fan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together.”
You never know. With themultiverse storylinesmaking their way into modern Marvel movies, the door is always open for Snipes to slip back into the role for a special appearance at some point in the future. In any case, the newBladedoes not yet have a release date. You can see what other fans are saying aboutBladeleading to the MCU over on Twitter.
