Mahershala Ali’s Blade is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films of the MCU. It has been too long since the character’s introduction in Eternals, and we are yet to see him return to the big screen. While cameos and supporting roles can only go so far, it is about time we get a full movie on the character.
As we move closer to the Blade film, there are a host of abilities that could be adapted with the character, ones that were omitted from the Wesley Snipes version, for whatever reason. However, 5 abilities in particular could serve Blade the best in the MCU and should be adapted, given how far special effects have come.
Turning into Mist
in 2023’s run of Blade, written by Bryan Edward Hill and Lee M. Furguson, Blade starts to train under his arch nemesis, Dracula, to hone his vampire powers to make him more effective against his breed of rogues gallery.
Blade is famously a halfling, and usually sticks to using guns and melee weapons to fight his opponents. However, in recent years, he has been leaning into his supernatural abilities, something that could be adapted into Maherhsala Ali‘s version of the character.
Turning into a Bat
Blade has a host of shapeshifting powers at his disposal, something that failed to make an appearance in Wesley Snipes’s adaptation of the character. However, his turning into a Bat is something that is seldom seen in comics too, with him most recently threatening to do so in Deadpool: Dracula’s Gauntlet. While the Merc with a Mouth and Blade defended themselves against a hoard of demons, Blade said that turning into a bat and running away is something he would only ever do in front of Deadpool.
Rapid healing without blood
A rapid healing factor is something that a lot of street-level vigilantes have developed, including Wolverine and Deadpool. While the Blade trilogy depicts a version of the character who has an above-average healing factor, it depicts him speeding the process up by consuming human blood. However, there is no precedent for such a limitation in the comics, given that the character has a rapid regenerative healing factor all by himself, without needing any additional supplement to speed it up.
Sense supernatural beings
Given that the Blade is a hunter of the supernatural, it would make sense if the character could detect their presence and discern them from the general public. A host of creatures look like human beings but could be hiding a dark secret, something that could help the character keep tabs on potential threats. This is a power that was forgone in the Blade trilogy, perhaps to add suspense to the film’s more noir style of presentation.
Hypnosis
Blade is immune to hypnosis and can hypnotize others. This is a power that he acquired from Morbius the Living Vampire. It was omitted from the films for the simple reason that there was no opportunity to plug the ability anywhere, given that the antagonist of the film also had the same abilities, making the whole point quite moot.
