A new debate has been sparked on Twitter.
“Blade” fans are going off on the social media platform after a Twitter user tried to credit Marvel’s 2002 “Spider-Man” and 2000 “X-Men” as the projects that successfully launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
“Just a friendly reminder that without Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and the X-Men movies… we would’ve never gotten the MCU,” wrote the user. However, several Marvel fans begged to differ. Many swarmed the user’s post with rebuttals claiming that film about the half-vampire, half-human played by Wesley Snipes was the true creation point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One fan argued, “The MCU stood on the back of Blade. I vividly remember the buzz around that movie when it came out. It was Blade’s success that led to X-Men and Spider-Man (a couple years later), which eventually led to Hulk, Iron Man and the MCU that we see today.”
Someone else wrote, “Blade literally gave Marvel the financial stability to continue its operations. Marvel was in so much debt, hence the licensing issue with Sony and Fox.” This person was referring to the year of 1996 when Marvel was on a decline after multiple failed projects and had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Despite the argument that “Blade” came out first out of three movies, just two years after the company filed for bankruptcy, some fans believe that the films’ success, not order of release, is the true determinant of which one led to putting the Marvel Cinematic Universe on sound footing.
One person tweeted, “Why do yall drama queens feel this is a hot take? 1 – Marvel’s popularity was mainly in Wolverine and Spiderman before the MCU. 2 – Blade was dope, but the X-Men and Spidey movies brought the fans 3 – There was marvel movies before Blade. Shifty ones, but nonetheless.”
Even the person who posted the original tweet that sparked the debate responded to the criticism. They wrote, “The only reason Blade isn’t on here is because it wasn’t as big of a hit as Spider-Man or X-Men… and Kevin Fiege worked very closely with Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man trilogy director) and he took notes and sh-t.”
After over two decades and two sequels, “Blade” is finally getting a reboot. Unfortunately, Snipes will not be reprising his role as the superhero. Instead, “The Green Book”’s Mahershala Ali will take the reins from Snipes.
Hollywood Reporter revealed in May that the new “Blade” is set to begin production in July 2022.
