The MCU has effectively handed off its magic touch to DC. The once-blessed studio has been subjected to many failures in recent memory.
Unlike the new direction of DC, headed by former Marvel director James Gunn, Marvel is flailing to find a cohesive vision. The outlier is Agatha All Along, a Disney+ original that is impossible not to love. Recently, Yassir Lester spoke to movieweb.com about the future of his project, Armor Wars. The story was originally slated to be a television series but has since been relegated to a feature film. It has been some time since audiences have heard any updates, but that isn’t up to Lester. The writer confirmed with the outlet that the film was still in active development, though that is a tricky situation.
“In the same way Blade [starring Mahershala Ali] goes away and comes back the next day, Armor Wars is — it’ll be a thing that happens every few months, then it won’t happen, then it’ll happen again.”
The Mahershala Ali led supernatural film was the most anticipated new project from the studio. It has been two decades since Wesley Snipes put on the shades of the iconic Daywalker. Adding Blade to the MCU would have raised the franchise to new heights. While magic has been acknowledged in the superhero franchise, the subject of vampires has not. Blade is an iconic comic book character that Oscar winning Ali would be perfect for.
It was heartbreaking as fans watched the prospects of the film get pushed further and further away until it was axed altogether. As it turned out, Snipe’s premonition in Deadpool & Wolverine would be correct. There’s only ever going to be one Blade.
Secret Invasion hasn’t helped the future of Armor Wars
Blade has undergone creative overturn and delays since it was first announced but there is no real reason why it shouldn’t be moving forward. For whatever reason, those at Marvel can’t seem to make it work. Armor Wars is getting the same treatment but as unfortunate as it is, the film always had the odds stacked against it.
Armor Wars follows the continuity of the much-maligned limited series, Secret Invasion. Premiering in 2023, the series came at a time when the Marvel brand was still exciting. On the heels of WandaVision and Loki, Secret Invasion had the potential to be another Captain America: Winter Soldier. Based on the comic run of the same name, Secret Invasion follows a secret sect of the shapeshifting Skrulls who infiltrate Earth on every level. In the comic, this had grave ramifications and genuine surprises.
Disney+’s Secret Invasion ultimately turned out to be less of an espionage film and more of a predictable six-episode run that killed off beloved characters for shock value. The series endes with Talos’ (Ben Mendelsohn) daughter G’iah (Emilia Clarke) absorbing practically every ability known to man, making her extremely overpowered. The series doesn’t follow what made the comic so terrifying and the Skrull invasion didn’t have any impact on the MCU, unlike the Hydra plot of Winter Soldier.
One of the strangest developments in the series was the revelation that Rhodey (Don Cheadle) had been impersonated by a Skull. It is unclear where the MCU was planning to take this plot after, but it was supposed to segue into Armor Wars with the world at odds following the Skrull attack. The visceral reaction against Secret Invasion may have made Marvel heads reconsider the plan. But this misstep is consistent with almost every problem with franchises.
Studio executives don’t have a great understanding of what fans want. Marvel was never about alien invasions or big explosions. Viewers just want their stories to be character-driven and have real consequences. Armor Wars has the potential to work. Marvel just has to return to what made it great in the first place.