Posted in: Movies, Netflix, TV | Tagged: blade, daredevil, entertainment, marvel, netflix, sigourney weaver, television

Is Blade Coming To Netflix? What Does This Marvel Legends Toy Tell Us?

There is a rumor going around the internet involving the Marvel / Netflix series and it goes something like this. The initial announcement for the Marvel / Netflix deal was to create series based on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist and then bring them all together into the Defenders. Folks are referring to this as Phase 1 with the edition of Daredevil season 2. They are expecting an announcement at either San Diego Con or D23 Expo this summer for Phase 2 that should include Daredevil 3, Jessica Jones 2, Luke Cage 2, The Punisher, a decision on Iron Fist 2 and… well, the rumor is that there will be more characters introduced going forward.

As of last week, the character most expected to be added is Blade. Now Marvel had success with the character on the big screen before any of their other ones broke through. The Wesley Snipe Blade movies are arguably the start of the comic to film craze. The character is popular and would make sense to tap into the popularity. But the main reason folks are betting on Blade… toys. The new Marvel Legends series features the Netflix versions of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Elektra and the Punisher. It also has a Blade figure in it. And not long ago, a Guardians of the Galaxy set was released and it had Starhawk…. then we got Starhawk in the film played by Sylvester Stallone, so it must mean we're getting Blade.

There are some flaws in that logic. 

Here is the full lineup of Marvel Legends figures that include the Netflix characters. You'll notice that the set also includes Bullseye, who is very likely to show up in Daredevil at some point soon. Just not in that exact out fit. That keeps the line of though on Blade going… but what about the build-a-figure. Are they really going to introduce Man-Thing as a Netflix series? It did get a movie once that went straight to Syfy and then straight to DVD. As cool a character as Man-Thing is, he doesn't seem to fit right into what Marvel and Netflix are doing there.

Which then brings up the elephant in the room… or rather the body in the coffin. Blade is a story about vampires. The Netflix characters a street-level vigilantes with science or mystic origins. Would they try and bring vampires into that world? Some speculate that the ancientness surrounding Signourney Weaver's character in the Defenders may be due to her being a vampire and not just her working for an ancient organization. The writers on the Defenders series talk about wanting to make a threat big enough to bring the heroes together but small enough to fit into the world they've built. It doesn't feel like vampires would fit in that world… at least not until the clear away a few hundred of the ninjas that keep popping up.

Will the Marvel / Netflix partnership expand into other characters? They'd be crazy not to. The series have done very well, with the most critically panned Iron Fist still getting good viewership. But they need to keep doing what works. A character like Moon Knight could fit into what already exists and still grow the overall universe. But Blade may be a bit far. Not saying it's impossible, but from what we've seen, I think it's improbable.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!