The First Look at Mahershala Ali’s Blade Has Finally Been Revealed, but Not in the Way You Think -

The first official look at Mahershala Ali’s Blade in the MCU has finally been released. Blade is briefly featured in the final seconds of What If…? Season 3, and now Marvel visual artist Justin Kim took to his personal Instagram to share the first HD image of Ali’s Blade as Moon Knight from an alternate universe. While this may not be the live-action look that we are all still waiting on pins and needles for, this Blade/Moon Knight hybrid variant is clearly inspired by the Oscar-winning actor, much more so than other What If…? Characters. What If…? Ali’s Blade as Moon Knight will also appear later this year in the animated series Marvel Zombies, which will be released on October 3.

Mahershala Ali took the stage with Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 when it was announced he would play Blade in the MCU, and since that day, no other Marvel project has experienced the same level of turmoil. Bassam Tariq came on to direct Blade in July 2021, and things were relatively quiet until roughly one year later, when Tariq departed the project in September 2022. Yann Demange signed on a few months later to direct Blade, and he even departed last year shortly before the film was removed from the release schedule entirely. Blade had been delayed several times until finally settling on a November 2025 release date before being removed from the calendar. Several stars, such as Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, have also resigned from Blade, leaving only Ali and Mia Goth attached to star.

Mahershala Ali Will Work With Basim Tariq — but Not on ‘Blade’

It was announced back in February that Ali and former Blade director Bassam Tariq would team up for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, but details about the film are being kept under wraps. Ali will be seen opposite Scarlett Johansson in one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, Jurassic World Rebirth, which is coming to theaters on July 2. He is even a two-time Oscar winner for his work in Moonlight, the 2016 coming-of-age drama starring Naomie Harris, and Green Book, the 2018 road trip drama starring Viggo Mortensen.

Mahershala Ali’s Blade does not have a spot on Marvel’s release schedule. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the film, and check out the first look at Ali’s Blade in What If…?