The 1998 original film with Wesley Snipes was an important, game-changing release for Marvel and Reynolds is keen on getting this incarnation a respectful bow out.
By now, the cat has been out of the bag for some time, and many outlets and social media have talked about the Deadpool & Wolverine cameos casually out in the open, including the very stars in the film. So, now it is no secret that while Hugh Jackman’s return to the Wolverine character was all the buzz with the film, a big fan-pleasing reveal is Wesley Snipes donning the shades and fangs once again for the day-walking, vampire-hunter Blade. Snipes’ 1998 film was a milestone with the Marvel company and helped to keep the famous comic brand from going bankrupt.
Blade’s appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine alongside Elektra, Johnny Storm and Channing Tatum’s Gambit was a meta plot device about these characters either not being fully realized or getting the conclusions from their respective franchises. Although an MCU Blade has been in the works amid behind-the-scenes drama, ComicBook.com reports that Marvel Jesus Ryan Reynolds posted on social media calling for Snipes’ Blade to go out with one last hurrah. Reynolds posted,
There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy. Please retweet for a Logan-like send off. #DeadpoolAndWolverine”
The appearance of Snipes was a welcomed surprise after his last outing, Blade: Trinity, was plagued by its own behind-the-scenes drama, which included stories of Reynolds and Snipes not getting along on set. Although Snipes has been supportive of Mahershala Ali’s reboot, he was still pleasantly surprised to get asked back to the character for this go-around. “I thought it didn’t make sense to me, but [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, ‘Okay, I got to take this call. Let’s see what this is about.’ He told me the idea… They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.” Snipes found it to difficult to keep the cameo as secret, but he even managed to conceal his Deadpool & Wolverine involvement from his family. A bigger challenge was getting back into Blade shape. “I wasn’t Blade ready, man. I don’t walk around as Blade every day, you know what I mean? With a trench coat and shades and fangs in my mouth. We had to work out. We definitely had to get the body, and my biggest concern was being in condition enough to deal with whatever the action was. They didn’t really tell me what the action was going to be, so I prepared for whatever that was going to come. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do as much as I thought I would because the action movies are tough. They’re not easy at all by any means. About a month into it, I got the body right… and then, with the help of a little customized foam well placed in certain areas, it was all good to go, baby. Let’s ride!“