Because of the events of the Endgame, it’s possible that the vampire hunter hasn’t been brought to agencies like SHIELD or the Avengers until now. In the post-credits scene of Eternals, Blade made his MCU Phase 4 debut. Mahershala Ali had a brief cameo appearance, speaking only one line. Vampires were only recently acknowledged in the MCU. However, the reason Earth’s protectors haven’t previously focused on Blade or the bloodsuckers has yet to be explained.
Vampires In The MCU
A few references to vampires have been made in the Marvel Universe prior to Blade’s arrival in Phase 4. A large wooden fork is dismissed by Korg in Thor: Ragnorok when he says:
“Not really useful unless you’re fighting off three vampires that are huddled together.”
As a result, Loki acknowledged the existence of vampires in the Disney+ show. This implied that they were as powerful as the Kree and Titans, like Thanos in Endgame. Additionally, the revelation of Blade in Eternals indicates that vampires will play an important role in the MCU in the future.
It’s strange that Marvel vampires haven’t been acknowledged by the Avengers or SHIELD. This is so given the level of threat they appear to pose and the fact that they’ve been around for a long time in the MCU’s history. One possible explanation is that after the events of the first Avengers movie, agencies like SHIELD’s focus shifted solely to galactic threats.
Until the events of Avengers: Endgame and now, Earth has been under constant attack by the Chitauri since their invasion. When Thanos’ armies invade the world, authorities will look to the skies rather than the shadows for threats. Due to his effectiveness in containing the vampires, they may not be aware of Blade’s existence.
Blade Will Make Vampire Hunter More Relevant
When it comes to vampires, SHIELD could have known all along. The Avengers could have also known all along. With Blade’s abilities, an unofficial system of delegation could be put into place. This would allow the vampire hunter to focus on more immediate world-ending threats while the rest of the team dealt with the vampires.
It doesn’t matter how much money or manpower is at their disposal; they’re still constrained by the Sokovia Accords for much of the recent MCU timeline. A mission to combat vampires would require the UN’s approval. However, this would be impossible because the world’s body is unlikely to be aware of vampires.
In any case, the events leading up to and following Avengers: Endgame can explain why Blade hasn’t been revealed until now in the MCU. It’s unlikely that Blade would be comfortable working with the likes of SHIELD because he’s a loner. Even so, Blade’s reveal that he is a vampire raises the stakes even higher for the MCU as a whole. We may get some answers before Mahershala Ali gets his own solo film in Blade, as Marvel is ramping up their supernatural side of the MCU with Disney+ shows Moon Knight and Werewolf By Night getting a Halloween special.
