Mahershala Ali Is Excited to Get Started On Blade

WARNING: Spoilers follow for Eternals.

Mahershala Ali is getting closer to his on-screen debut in the MCU as Blade, and he’s looking forward to getting into it. Ali made his off-screen debut as the character in the post-credits scene of Marvel’s Eternals, only heard off-camera, and the actor spoke with Empire Online for a new interview discussing the vocal appearance and moving forward with the role.

“It was really cool, getting to do that,” Ali said of recording the voice line. “It was scary. Because, you know, you’re talking before you’re filming it. I’m pretty particular about my choices, like most actors, and so having to make some choices – even with a line, vocally – this early on, it brought up some very real anxieties. And it made the job real. It’s like, ‘Okay, this is happening now’, you know, and that’s exciting.”

He also gave an update on the upcoming film, saying, “That Marvel world is obviously the biggest in film, and just to get my little introduction to that – starting with the Comic Con a couple years ago, and now the very early stages of stepping into the shoes of that character – it felt special and really cool. I’m excited to get going and do more.

As to how close he is to finally donning the Blade outfit, Ali said, “We’re getting there. We’re getting close.”

Blade does not yet have a release date.