It’s been a minute (okay, more like six years!) since Marvel Studios shut down Hall H at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, dropping the bomb that Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali would be the new Blade. Now, after what feels like forever, we finally got a glimpse of Blade in Ali’s image. But, plot twist, it wasn’t what we expected! Instead of his own movie, Blade showed up briefly in the season finale of Marvel’s animated “What If…?” Season 3. And he wasn’t just Blade, but a Blade/Moon Knight hybrid!
Yep, you read that right. Blade is also slated to appear in the upcoming “Marvel Zombies,” a four-episode animated miniseries that might be part of Phase Six. Set to drop on Disney+ on September 24, 2025, the end of “What If…?” Season 3 gave us the perfect sneak peek at this Blade-Knight combo. Of course, the burning question on everyone’s minds is: how did this happen, and is Blade Knight a thing in Marvel Comics?
The short answer is no. But before we get into that, let’s address the elephant in the room: Mahershala Ali’s live-action Blade movie. It’s been yanked from its November 7, 2025, release date and seems stuck in development limbo. Honestly, no other MCU project has seen as much chaos as this Blade film. It lost its original director, Bassam Tariq, back in 2022.
Bassam Tariq’s exit happened just two months before they were supposed to start filming. Yann Demange stepped in, but then he left too. And it’s not just directors. Actors like Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, who were supposed to be in the movie with Ali, also bounced. The last we heard was in 2024, when Kevin Feige said the MCU is still committed to the project and Mahershala Ali’s vision.
So, what does all this have to do with Blade-Knight? Well, there are creative reasons why Marvel decided to drop this alternate Blade on us before his live-action version. Animated projects need more lead time, and with the Blade movie stuck in development hell, the team needed a way to bring Blade into the MCU without messing up his eventual live-action debut.
Since the character was hinted at in “Eternals,” making an alternate Blade who’s also the Fist of Khonshu fits perfectly into the “What If…?” vibe. It’s a new character who isn’t tied to his live-action self, giving the creative team freedom to explore new stories. So, circling back to the original question, no, Blade-Knight isn’t comic book canon. He’s an original creation specifically for the Marvel Animated universe, which is canon to the MCU but doesn’t always follow the comic books.
This new Blade Knight, aka Eric Brooks, is still a half-vampire Daywalker, but he also has the powers of the moon god Khonshu, taking cues from Moon Knight. He even rocks the white uniform and glowing eyes like Moon Knight, while still fighting with Blade’s signature intensity. It’s a mix of Blade’s vampire-hunting skills and Moon Knight’s mysticism. But, like we said before, he’s only in the MCU’s animated universe… for now.
There have been times when characters debuted on the screen before making their way into the comics. Think Phil Coulson, Erik Selvig, and Kahhori. Captain Carter, Peggy Carter’s superhero alter ego, was first teased in 2018’s “Exiles #3” as Captain America, before showing up in “What If…?” and then getting her own comic series.
Who knows, maybe the same will happen with Blade Knight? The concept is actually pretty cool, since both Blade and Moon Knight have similar hunting grounds and powers that work well together. It could also bring different fanbases together and create something totally new, without all the continuity baggage of the main comic book universe.
In the end, “Marvel Zombies” promises to bring Blade to the small screen, even if it’s not the version we were expecting. But hey, maybe this is a good thing. It shows that the MCU can still come up with fresh storylines that can tie into alternate universes, or even the main one.
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