Rumor: Marvel Studios Considering Pulling The Plug On Two Upcoming MCU Films

Spencer Baculi |

Sep 11, 2024

Blade welcomes all undead challengers on Elena Casagrande and KJ Diaz's cover to Blade Vol. 5 #9 "Mother of Evil: Part Nine" (2024), Marvel Comics

A new whisper on the streets of Earth-19999 suggests that Marvel Studios is seriously considering the possibility of scrapping two of their upcoming cinematic MCU entries.

War Machine (Don Cheadle) prepares to unload in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Marvel Entertainment

This supposed insight regarding the dying franchise’s potential fat-trimming was first brought to light on September 4th courtesy of noted scooper Daniel ‘DanielRPK’ Richtman.

Taking to his personal Patreon account, Richtman informed his paid followers, as per a recap provided by The Direct, that the releases of both Armor Wars and Blade are no longer guaranteed.

“As for Marvel, they have at least five live action series in development,” said the scooper in his update. “I also hear a final decision on the fate of Armor Wars and Blade is expected in the coming months.”

Blade has a warning for the Avengers in Blood Hunt Vol. 1 #1 (2024), Marvel Comics. Words by Jed MacKay, art by Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and Cory Petit.

Notably, should one or both of these films have currently found themselves facing the chopping block, such a development would come as little shock given the multi-year lack of movement on both projects.

Announced by Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2020 Investor Day presentation, the War Machine-centric Armor Wars was originally conceived as a Disney Plus television series (and that’s actually all we know about the series, as no details regarding any potential plot have ever been publicly detailed).

However, after a few sporadic production updates and a series of false production starts across the following two years, the Don Cheadle-led series was upgraded to a full-blown film in 2022 – and that’s the last official word that’s ever been given regarding the project.

The Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) greets the President of the United States in Iron Man 3 (2013), Marvel Entertainment

As for Blade – well, where does one begin?

Starring Marvel’s Luke Cage star Mahershal Ali as the titular Daywalker, the MCU reboot of Blade’s cinematic adventures was first revealed as officially as in-production during the 2019 entry of the annual San Diego Comic-Con.

Its existence was further teased in 2021when Ali made a voice cameo as Blade in the post-credits scene to Eternals, therein making his franchise debut by questioning whether or not Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman was ready to learn the truth behind the legendary Ebony Blade.

Blade leads the anti-vampire resistance on Tony Daniel's variant cover to Blood Hunt Vol. 1 #4 (2024), Marvel Comics — Blade leads the anti-vampire resistance on Tony Daniel’s variant cover to Blood Hunt Vol. 1 #4 (2024), Marvel Comics

But in the years since, the film has faced one set-back after another, its troubles including the loss of multiple writers and directors as well as a numerous full revisions to its script (according to rumors, the film was originally going to use Blade as a mere prop with which to introduce his daughter Danielle as the MCU’s actual resident vampire hunter), to the point where it’s become a widely-held joke that the film will likely never see the light of day (pun slightly intended).

So much so, in fact, that the entire fiasco was even mocked in the recent Deadpool & Wolverine, with original Blade trilogy star Wesley Snipes’ incarnation of the vampire-human hybrid asserting in regards to his lack of multiversal counterparts, “There’s only been one Blade, there’s only ever gonna be one Blade.”