*YOU’LL GET NO FURTHER SPOILER WARNINGS AFTER THIS!*
With the release of Eternals this weekend, you already know to stick around through the credits. That has been embedded in our brains for more than a decade. As we know thanks to director Chloe Zhao, there will be two additional scenes, this time, and both are very important. Thanks to leaks following the world premiere, we already know one involves the MCU debut of actor Harry Styles as Eros aka Starfox. But the second one has been kept secret pretty well, and Zhao is excited to talk about it because of the fan-favorite character who makes his anticipated first appearance.
So, I’ll just say that I got a lot of questions about Eros when Eternals was over, especially from those who had no idea he is Thanos’ brother. That’s going to create some drama, for sure. But I got a lot more questions from people about the second tease, which involves Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman character. It finds Dane struggling with whether to accept the cursed Ebony Blade, a weapon passed down through his family. If he takes it, he’ll become the “hero” Black Knight, but it comes with a heavy price.
Finally, Dane says “I have to try” and reaches for the blade. But before he can touch it, an unseen voice behind him booms “Sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?”
So while I and a couple of others immediately recognized that voice, Chloe Zhao confirms once and for all to Fandom who it was: Mahershala Ali as Blade.
“That was the voice of one of my favorite superheroes, Mr. Blade himself. Blade, Blade, Blade, yeah!” said Zhao. “You just have to wait for it. I don’t know what they’re doing with the movie, but Mahershala is a treasure. It’s going to be epic.”
Ali was introduced as Blade a few years ago at San Diego Comic-Con, and fans have been eager for his first appearance. Well, they’ve got it. Sorta. But what do the vampire-hunting daywalker and the Black Knight have in common? It’s worth noting that while Blade is known for killing bloodsuckers, he’s a figure well-versed in the darker aspects of the Marvel Universe, and the Ebony Blade definitely falls within that sphere. My personal opinion is we are going to see some kind of Midnight Sons movie develop at some point, and maybe Black Knight will be part of that.
As for a solo Blade film? It has Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) directing and a planned start date of next summer.
