The only thing Mahershala Ali is driving a stake through anytime soon is the possibility of his doomed MCU project ever seeing the light of day. During an interview for his upcoming film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, the actor set the record straight on Blade and why the door has fully closed on it.

During the press tour for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel boss Kevin Feige was quoted as saying his inability to get Blade off the ground was a "failure." This statement is what led GQ to ask Ali if the film was any closer to becoming a reality. "Not with me," Ali said definitely. Ali puts the blame squarely at Marvel's feet, saying, "[Marvel] had me under contract, they have billions of dollars. If they wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie. So we're not doing the movie."

People are desperate for answers about what happened to Blade, but there is a specific connection between the failed MCU project and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The film is directed by Bassim Tariq, who was the first director Marvel tapped to helm Blade in 2021. He eventually left the project only a year later due to continued delays. He would be replaced by Yann Demange, who later exited in 2024.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows Ali as a devoutly religious hitman embarking on a dangerous journey to protect his children from the forces around him. While it isn't Ali and Tariq's legally distinct Blade movie, it is a project born out of that failed partnership (even if some shades of the character can be felt in the premise alone). Ali does say that it came down to either doing Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother or doing Blade, "And I'll take this." He adds that the upcoming film "feels very much in alignment with the type of work I want to be known for." Ali eventually moves on from the Blade questions, saying that if people want answers, Marvel is the one who should give them.