Mahershala Ali Steps Away from Blade in Upcoming Marvel Project

Marvel Zombies is one of the most talked-about animated projects coming to Disney+. The series is created by Zeb Wells and produced by Marvel Studios Animation, and it will continue the zombie storyline first shown in the “What If… Zombies?!” episode of What If…?. That episode aired back in 2021, and now Marvel is building on it with a full series. Bryan Andrews is the showrunner and director, while Wells is serving as head writer.

The show will once again explore an alternate Marvel timeline, where some of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains have been turned into flesh-eating zombies. A group of survivors has to face these former allies and enemies in order to stay alive. Marvel has promised a big cast of characters in the series, and one of them is Blade. But there is a big change that fans didn’t see coming.

Mahershala Ali, who has been set to play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is not returning to voice the character in Marvel Zombies.

According to recent reports, actor Todd Williams will be voicing Blade in the animated show. This is a surprising move because fans have been waiting for years to finally see Ali step into the role.

In the series, Blade is still the famous half-vampire “daywalker” who hunts other vampires. But Marvel Zombies adds a new twist: Blade has also taken on the mantle of Moon Knight. That gives the character an entirely new role in this universe.

Marvel confirmed in August 2025 that Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, and Tessa Thompson will reprise their MCU roles as Scott Lang, U.S. Agent, and Valkyrie. At the same time, the studio also confirmed that Todd Williams will be voicing Blade.

This is not technically Ali’s first time connected to the role. Fans will remember that his voice was heard in the post-credits scene of Eternals, where Blade was teased for the first time in the MCU. But that short moment is still his only appearance so far.

The bigger issue surrounding Blade is the live-action movie, which has been stuck in development for years. The film has gone through several writers and directors, and Marvel eventually pulled it off the release calendar.

Kevin Feige recently said that the Blade film is still being worked on, but he did not give any update on when it might arrive. Reports now suggest the movie is no longer a top priority for Marvel Studios, leaving many to wonder about its future.

For now, Mahershala Ali’s Blade remains in limbo. While his live-action debut is still uncertain, the character will appear in Marvel Zombies with Todd Williams taking over the voice role.

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