Mahershali Ali's Blade Was Recast For This Marvel Series On Disney Plus

Another day, another nail in the coffin of Mahershala Ali's "Blade." As if letting another movie altogether (namely, "Sinners") use its wardrobe department wasn't enough on top of the many, many years it's spent stuck in development hell, Marvel Studios' "Blade" reboot just hit yet another snag. Indeed, the titular daywalker is now poised to make his proper Marvel Cinematic Universe debut after Ali's voice-only cameo in the post-credits scene for "Eternals." The only problem? He isn't being played by Ali.

The project in question is "Marvel Zombies," the upcoming animated miniseries based on the comic of the same name. Taking place in an alternate timeline that was previously glimpsed on an episode of "What If...?," the show follows a group of survivors fighting against MCU heroes and villains who have been turned into zombies. Among those starring in the series are Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Awkwafina as Katy Chen, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop.

With so many actors having reprised their live-action MCU roles in either "What If...?" and/or now "Marvel Zombies," it's perhaps telling that Blade is being voiced on the latter by Todd Williams rather than Ali. Speaking with ComicBook.com, "Marvel Zombies" showrunner Bryan Andrews avoided spilling any details about the show in general, simply stating, "All I can say is, blood will be spilled."

Funnily enough, this is not the first time Williams has replaced Ali in an animated project — or even the first time Williams has played a character known for battling the creatures of the night. Rather, Williams also replaced Ali as the voice of the super-villain crime lord Titan in "Invincible" season 3, in addition to portraying the vampire hunter Connor Jordan on "The Vampire Diaries."

That aside, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about "Marvel Zombies," starting with Andrews. The showrunner, after all, previously co-created the brilliant and underrated "Sym-Bionic Titan" with Genndy Tartakovsky. Not only that, but he and Tartakovsky have also worked together for years, dating back to "Samurai Jack" (where Andrews served as a storyboard artist and writer).

As for "Blade," it's looking more and more likely the title character will simply show up in either animated and/or alternate timeline MCU projects until further notice, as opposed to anchoring his own movie in the franchise. It's a real shame, too, and only further proof of the larger issues that have plagued Marvel Studios over the last five years. Still, at least we can at least look forward to some version of Blade kicking zombie vampire ass in the near future. 

"Marvel Zombies" will begin streaming on Disney+ September 24, 2025.