WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 4.
In Loki episode 4, the Marvel Cinematic Universe subtly confirms that Blade will have one of its most powerful characters. During San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, Marvel announced Mahershala Ali will star as the titular half-human and half-vampire in the upcoming movie. The new film is a reboot of the Blade character, who was first brought to life on the big screen by Wesley Snipes in 1998. Marvel was widely praised for casting Ali, an Oscar-winning actor, and Snipes even made a point of supporting the decision.
Marvel previously teased the existence of vampires in Thor: Ragnarok. In the film, Korg, a character played by director Taika Waititi, offers Chris Hemsworth's Thor a "big wooden fork." Though the weapon seems to be fairly pointless, Korg has a solution. The character says it's not useful unless someone's "fighting off three vampires that were huddled together." First and foremost, the vampire line in Thor: Ragnarok is a joke. At the time, it simply seemed like a reference to Waititi's popular vampire-centric comedy, What We Do in the Shadows. However, with the announcement of Blade, the joke also seems to be a nod to vampires existing in the MCU.
Loki episode 4 adds to the lore of vampires in Marvel movies, confirming Blade will be a formidable character. In the episode, the Time Variance Authority recaptures both Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Sophia Di Martino's Lady Loki, putting them in separate holding areas. In a meeting with Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Ravonna Renslayer, Owen Wilson's Mobius asks to speak with Lady Loki but gets denied. He then makes an interesting comment to Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15 while walking by the room where Lady Loki is being held. "You know, we brought in Kree, Titans, vampires. Why is it the two orphan demigods are such a pain in the ass?" says Mobius. Though it's a throwaway moment when it comes to the events of the episode, it's a particularly telling line.
Kree and Titans are powerful creatures in the MCU, and Mobius' line puts vampires right there with them. Besides being cantankerous Marvel foes, Kree and Titans are both much stronger than humans. The alien races also seemingly have the ability to handle Infinity Stones. Though Josh Brolin's Thanos is an outlier when it comes to those hailing from Titan, he's strong enough to survive snapping his fingers with all the Infinity Stones on his gauntlet. Also, Kree warlord Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) briefly holds the Power Stone with his bare hand in Guardians of the Galaxy. In the Loki scene, Mobius is clearly rattling off the most dangerous creatures he can think of, and vampires are near the top of the list.
As powerful as vampires may be in the MCU, Blade is even stronger. He can go in sunlight, and he's immune to vampire bites. Additionally, Blade has super strength, agility, and healing powers. Simply put, Blade has vampire strengths and avoids many of their weaknesses. Besides his super abilities, he's a skilled fighter and talented at swordplay. By listing vampires alongside Titans and Kree, Mobius hints that Mahershala Ali's character will be a force in Blade.
Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
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July 03, 2021 at 12:47AM
