Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has candidly expressed his feelings about the studio’s struggles. Blade reboot, admitting he feels like a “gigantic loser and a failure” for failing to get the film starring Mahershala Ali off the ground.
Speaking to host Joshua Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 53-year-old film director opened up about the long-delayed Marvel Cinematic Universe project.
When jokingly asked how much time he spent in therapy discussing the stalled vampire hunter film, Feige jokingly asked if they should jump into a therapy session, before offering an unusually honest assessment of the project’s status.
Feige admitted that while he was excited to bring the original Blade actor Wesley Snipes returns for an appearance in Deadpool and Wolverinehis failure to bring Ali’s version to the big screen continues to weigh on him.
“I’m very happy that we have Wesley back for a while Deadpool and Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t take off with Mahershala,” Feige confessed.
The frank admission highlights a rare public accountability from the boss of the world’s most profitable film franchise regarding one of its most notoriously delayed announcements.
THE Blade The reboot was first revealed with great fanfare during Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con presentation in 2019, when two-time Oscar winner Ali, now 52, made a surprise appearance on stage wearing a custom Blade cap.
The character was previously portrayed by Snipes, 63, in a popular film trilogy including the 1998 films. Bladeyears 2002 Blade IIand 2004 Blade: Trinity, before Snipes makes his surprise return in 2024 Deadpool and Wolverinemarking his first turn as day walker in two decades.
However, the Ali reboot was repeatedly derailed due to behind-the-scenes issues, multiple release date pushbacks, a revolving door of directors and writers, and extensive story rearrangements.
Disney ultimately removed the film from its fall 2024 theatrical release schedule.
For his part, Ali remained eager to take on the role despite the prolonged delays.
Talk to Variety in June 2025, the actor urged fans to tell Marvel he was still ready to go.
Feige addressed the situation while on a promotional campaign for Marvel’s upcoming slate of blockbusters, including Spider-Man: A Whole New Daywhich arrives in theaters on July 31, followed by Avengers: Apocalypse five months later, on December 18.
