As the Marvel fandom awaits Blade‘s solo movie with bated breath, the MCU has at least answered a burning question about how its rendition of the iconic character will operate within the franchise. This is despite Blade not being expected to appear in such movies as Avengers: Doomsday, although this could always change.

Blade has technically appeared twice in the MCU already, with Wesley Snipes recently reprising the role after his tenure in the 1990s in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. Mahershala Ali’s Blade, meanwhile, technically debuted in the Eternals post-credits scene, where his voice could be heard addressing Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman off-screen. Sadly, nothing has been seen or heard of him since then.

Snipes’ Blade even poked fun at the development hell that the MCU’s Blade has been experiencing for the past several years in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. During their ᴀssault on Cᴀssandra Nova’s compound, he declares that “There’s only been one Blade. There will only ever be one Blade.” As of this month, however, this declaration will be rendered false.

Marvel’s Newest Trailer Is Our First Proper Look At How Blade Can Work In The MCU

A trailer for Marvel Zombies, the MCU’s next installment, was recently unveiled by Marvel Studios. The Disney+ animation will take place in an alternate universe to the mainline MCU’s Earth-616, and is a spinoff of the well-received What If…? episode, “What If… Zombies?!“ from the first season, picking up where that episode left off.

This means that surviving superheroes such as Spider-Man and Ant-Man (or, at least, Ant-Man’s head) will be resuming their war against a zombified host of MCU icons. They will also be joined, however, by other characters — and Blade, who has ᴀssumed the mantle of Moon Knight, is among them.

Blade seems to be playing a fairly significant role in Marvel Zombies, much unlike his painfully brief appearance in Eternals. From the trailer alone, we can discern how Blade will operate within the MCU, with Marvel Zombies‘ Blade being responsible for one of the trailer’s coolest scenes as he duels with a zombie, sword-wielding Ghost.

Notably, this means Blade is a valuable member of a superhero team. While Wesley Snipes’ Blade set a precedent for the character as a willing team-player, this looks to be a habit that the MCU’s Blade will willingly continue. Furthermore, the first look at the MCU’s Blade, despite being entirely animated, is a particularly exciting sign of things to come.

Marvel Zombies’ Look At Blade Is A Promising One For The MCU

The Marvel Zombies trailer has worked well to stoke excitement. It looks set to maintain the MCU’s stellar track record with R-rated productions, delivering a no-holds-barred adaptation of a fan-favorite comic. Blade is to thank for some of the coolest moments in the entire trailer, especially his aforementioned fight with Ghost.

Needless to say, Marvel Zombies will deliver a particularly unique rendition of Blade. Although Marc Spector ᴀssumes the mantle in the mainline MCU in Moon Knight, Marvel Zombies‘ Blade will seemingly be Khonshu’s avatar instead. It is unlikely that this will also transpire in live-action, although seeing Blade at his fullest potential is an exciting prospect.

It is also conspicuous that both Blade and Moon Knight have been members of one of Marvel’s most compelling teams: the Midnight Sons. Combining these two mystical characters and having Blade fight occult creatures while part of a team draws parallels that are difficult to ignore.

With the MCU’s Blade movie still stuck in development hell, it is unclear whether he will spearhead a Midnight Sons adaptation in the future for the MCU. Nevertheless, Marvel Zombies might be about to offer a taste of what might be en route.