How Mahershala Ali Became Blade (VIDEO SCRIPT)

All I know is that we better get some context for the “Ice Skate Uphill” line

I can’t say or use the scene with the ACTUAL line, because it’s still the first minute of the video and I don’t wanna get demonetized.

YET.

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Readers, San Diego Comic Con 2019 has come and gone, leaving behind plenty of things to look forward to (Harley Quinn animated series)

Plenty of things for me to complete ignore (Top Gun Maverick logo)

And plenty of things that has us questioning humanity (Cats logo)

I’m sorry, Lindsay; I know you’re unironically looking forward to this, but Jesus Christ...

That being said, look forward to “Is Cats a Musical or an Opera?” a video essay I won’t be making anytime soon, but one I’m definitely considering making...

But since Warner Brothers/DC Films skipped a big presentation this year, Marvel Studios’s Hall H presentation has been the talk of the town since Saturday July 20th 2019

And that’s because they revealed their plans for Phase 4 of the MCU, consisting of 10 projects over the course of 2020 and 2021 that consists of 5 theatrical releases, and 5 Disney+ exclusive TV Shows

Those 5 movies include Black Widow, the Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Five Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder

With the 5 mini-series being the Falcon/Winter Solder team-up, Loki, WandaVision, an animated What If series, and Hawkeye

They also confirmed a lot of information we all have been speculating as rumors for the longest time, like Taskmaster being the villain for Black Widow’s movie, the REAL Mandarin being in Shang-Chi

The Disney+ shows being required watches for the MCU moving forward by the events of WandaVision immediately playing into the plot of the next Doctor Strange

And that Valkyrie will be the first LGBT hero in the MCU

Then of course we find out that Natalie Portman is returning as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder...as THOR.

And while I’m all for seeing it happen along with the fact that I can sleep great knowing that Comicsgate is PISSED...

Honestly, I’m just happy that ANY of Jason Aaron’s run of Thor is getting adapted at this point

And while we got some teases about Phase 5 at the end of the presentation with confirmation of sequels to Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Guardians 3 will be part of it, along with talks of Fantastic Four and X-Men in the works

/In a surprise last minute announcement, Marvel Studios revealed that a Blade reboot is currently in the works, and that he’s being played by Muslim actor and 2-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mahershala-ali-star-blade-marvel-1225888

Why yes, I DID find it necessary to mention the fact that he’s Muslim first, despite it not being my religion.

Because not only is the religion part of his identity that mainstream media tends to sweep under the rug in order to avoid conflict

But just like I’m thriving off the suffering of Comicsgate regarding MCU Jane Foster and Valkyrie, I want Islamophobes to die mad.

Readers, when this was announced at the end of Marvel Studios’s Hall H presentation, I was just as surprised as everyone else. And I wasn’t even there!

I was laying in my bed in the dark because a Thunderstorm took out the power in my apartment, wasting my phone battery on live-tweets about the presentation because clearly I know what my priorities are

But outside of being impressed that the MCU’s version of Blade is now portrayed by Mahershala, I was ALSO impressed with how he got the role.

Because it wasn’t Marvel Studios that approached Ali for the role.

/It was Ali who approached Marvel, after winning his second academy award and said that he wanted to be the next Blade. The rest -- as we witnessed this weekend -- is history/ Blade - Hollywood Reporter

Now I’ve seen people react two different ways once this info was released; both I believe make very valid points

The more positive is that Ali got the part of Blade because -- to paraphrase Lizzo a bit -- took a DNA test and it turned out he was %100 that bitch after his second Oscar win.

The other and more realistic when it comes to black folk and minorities in America in question, is the inconvenient truth of having to work twice -- if not THREE times as hard as our white peers to get HALF of what they get with no effort

With the fact that he had to become a two-time Oscar winner in order to gain the confidence to approach Marvel to talk about the role in the first place, while his white counterparts easily entered the MCU with a less impressive resume

And while I see where they’re coming from and agree that Hollywood still has a ways to go as far as properly breaking down the race, sex, and queer barriers, I don’t necessarily agree with that being the case as far as how Ali gained the role

/Especially since it’s been revealed by Kevin Feige that working with Ali on ANYTHING was something they only had high hoes for/ Variety Video

Let’s also keep in consideration that -- and I can’t BELIEVE I’m about to say this out loud

One of the best things to happen to Marvel Studios after Disney bought Marvel Entertainment was getting rid of Ike Perlmuter

The previous conservative owner of Marvel Entertainment and avid Trump supporter who actively kept Kevin Feige from doing a lot of the stuff with Marvel Studios that we’ve seen him accomplish since Phase 3

So not only did they think that Mahershala Ali was out of their wheelhouse now that he’s a two-time Oscar winner, which is worth reminding that his previous work on Luke Cage with Marvel Television and its head Jeph Loeb being a completely different monster than Marvel Studios

But Marvel Studios was limited with what they could do as far as actively including diversity because of who was in charge at the time and have only started making strides in it since 2014.

Now in the MCU we have Black Panther, Carol Danvers Captain Marvel, Shang-Chi, a queer Valkyrie, a deaf woman of color portraying Makkari in the Eternals, Jane Foster as Thor, and now Mahershala Ali as Blade in an upcoming film for Phase 5 or later

And honestly, it’s about damn time.

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But, I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day. Write in the comment section below how you reacted when you found out Mahershala Ali would be playing Blade in the MCU

Were you excited? Were you still holding out for Wesley Snipes? I’d love to know your thoughts!