It makes perfect sense when you think about it: Wesley Snipes could totally play Abraham Whistler alongside Mahershala Ali’s Blade in the MCU reboot.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand its boundaries. It seems like it aims to bring virtually every character from the comics to the epic live-action multiverse it has created. However, with the upcoming release of the MCU’s Blade reboot, it seems like they might be reintroducing a character that was created explicitly for the original Blade film trilogy.
Though there have been just a few rumours and confirmations surrounding 2023’s Blade – like the casting of Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire hunter – fans have been quick to point out some of the characters they’d want to see coming to the MCU. Morbius, of course, was the first pick of many fans, but there’s one character that has become sort of inseparable from the Blade mythos since the original film trilogy: Abraham Whistler.
As the mentor figure for the deadliest vampire killer in the MCU, Abraham Whistler is widely regarded as one of the most popular characters in the original trilogy. His western persona goes well for the role of a wise master that’s been fighting against the creatures of the night in what was seemingly a one-man war until he met Blade.
It could be argued that the original Blade trilogy redefined what audiences could expect from modern superhero flicks. Released in 1998, Blade reimagined comic book movies for the new millennium, taking away some of the cheesiest aspects that had made some earlier efforts – like the amazingly awful Batman & Robin – so despised by fans and critics.
At the centre of it all was Wesley Snipes, who was, for all intents and purposes, perfect in the role of Blade. He essentially reinvented a dormant character, maybe one of the most underrated heroes in the entire Marvel lore, and introduced him to a whole new audience of horror fans and action flick buffs.
This was a turning point for Marvel as a whole, as just a few years later, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man would show what new superhero films could become.
Considering just how influential Wesley Snipes has been for Marvel as a company, it would be a no-brainer to include him in some capacity in the upcoming reboot of the film franchise. Mahershala Ali might be the new face of Blade, but there’s no reason to believe that Wesley Snipes shouldn’t become the MCU’s Abraham Whistler.
The nod would be sometimes that long-time Blade fans would definitely appreciate. It would also be a kind gesture from Marvel to both, Snipes and the new fans that his movies brought to the vampire killer. After all, we could argue that, without Wesley Snipes, there would be no Blade today.
Still, even if fans have been asking for Wesley Snipes to become Mahershala Ali’s mentor in the new film, Abraham Whistler has a complicated story when it comes to copyright issues. The character was a creation of screenwriter David S. Goyer (Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel) which could mean that he might not be available in the new movie.
Even if we might not get Abraham Whistler in the new movie, that doesn’t mean that we should discard the possibility of Wesley Snipes appearing in the MCU. After all, before Whistler, there was Jamal Afari, Blade’s original mentor from the comics. If things get too tricky about bringing Whistler to the MCU, perhaps casting Snipes as Jamal Afari would offer fans just the film they’re asking for: one in which Wesley Snipes teaches Mahershala Ali how to be the best vampire hunter there is.
