In 2021, the “What if…?” » episode “What if… zombies?!” introduced an alternate timeline in which a virus transformed the human race, including several Marvel heroes, into hordes of the undead. Set in 2025, “Marvel Zombies” explored this bizarre universe and introduced one of the best characters ever seen in any Marvel Studios Animation project: Eric Brooks/Blade Knight. Voiced by Todd Williams, this version of Blade isn’t quite the Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration that fans have long been waiting to see on the big screen. But that makes it all the more interesting; he is actually an avatar of the god Khonshu, which technically makes him a version of Moon Knight.
Why did Marvel decide to introduce a highly anticipated character in an animated miniseries? Well, as co-creator and director Bryan Andrews has since explained, that wasn’t how things were supposed to go. In fact, the “Marvel Zombies” production team was initially under the impression that the “Blade” movie would have debuted by the time their Disney+ series arrived.
Andrews sat down with Brandon Davis on the “Phase Hero” podcast to discuss the whole debacle. “When we were doing [‘Marvel Zombies’] they [Marvel Studios] had on the docket, ‘Okay, ‘Blade’ is going to come out on blah blah,’ more or less,” the director explained.”[…]So we’re like, “Okay, cool. So it’s on the table. Excellent.’ Because at that point the math seemed to indicate that we would come out after them. ” But the calculations didn’t work out, because by the time “Marvel Zombies” was released, the long-delayed film was no longer in view, prompting Andrews and his team to rework their version of the Daywalker.
The Marvel Zombies Blade was originally supposed to be based on the film version
Fans have been waiting too long for the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of “Blade” to arrive. Originally planned to star Mahershala Ali as the titular daywalker, the film has encountered so many problems and setbacks that it’s questionable if it will ever see the light of day at this point. In 2024, /Film’s Ryan Scott argued that Marvel should put itself out of its beleaguered “Blade” misery, and it’s hard to argue with that way of thinking, given how cursed this production seems.
With that in mind, it wasn’t all that surprising that Ali’s Blade was recast for “Marvel Zombies,” a move that also foreshadowed the fact that this version of the character wasn’t intended to be the cinematic Blade. But it seems that the original plan was to present the Ali Blade. However, as the release date for “Marvel Zombies” approached, the animators were forced to change course.
As Bryan Andrews explained during his appearance on “Phase Hero,” production of the Disney+ series involved a lot of checking in with Marvel Studios to see where the “Blade” movie was going. “We came across this thing where […] “They’re trying to figure out the movie and all that kind of stuff,” he explained, “and sometimes when it’s happening simultaneously, it’s hard for us.” The director recalled the difficulties of trying to ensure that the series’ version of Blade resembled the film version without an actual film version of the character to reference. “So we’re like, ‘Hey guys,’ looking over the fence. ‘What’s going on over there? Who’s this character actually going to be?'” Andrews explained.
Ultimately, the director claimed that it was his and his team’s decision to move away from Ali’s version of the hero. “We didn’t want to deal with that anymore,” he admitted. “So we’re like, ‘Hey, if we make it the Fist of Khonshu, we’re absolutely free. We could ignore everything they do because it’s this Blade, not their Blade, right?’ Which liberated us enormously.”
Blade Knight is a worthy addition to the MCU
Transforming the “Marvel Zombies” version of Blade into the Fist of Khonshu essentially means that this iteration of the character is a version of Moon Knight – an earthly avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the Moon who also resurrected the original Moon Knight, Marc Spector, transforming him into a hooded hero. This animated blade is therefore essentially a Blade/Moon Knight mashup, possessed by the spirit of Khonshu – hence the name Blade Knight.
Taking this approach was clearly the right decision for Bryan Andrews and his team, and not just because it meant they were no longer reliant on the glacial pace of development for Marvel Studios’ “Blade” film. “We were like, ‘Oh my God, it would look as cool as Khonshu’s fist,'” Andrews noted during his interview with Phase Hero. “Our guys started designing it and they started giving us images. We were like, ‘Oh, hell yeah. Look at this shit.'” Creating their own version of Blade then allowed the “Marvel Zombies” team to create their own character for their own series, which worked out for the best (because Blade is undeniably one of the coolest characters on the show).
Meanwhile, fans are wondering if the “Blade” movie will ever rise from its grave to see the light of day. First announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the project experienced so many delays that it became a complete debacle. We’re talking about two directors pulling out of the project and even its star, Mahershali Ali, on the verge of leaving it. For the moment, the film does not have a release date and its future remains very uncertain. Fortunately, “Marvel Zombies” gave us a superb on-screen portrayal of the character, which was much better than Wesley Snipes’ wasted cameo in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
“Marvel Zombies” is now streaming on Disney+.
