Multiple Marvel projects are stuck in limbo
Photo courtesy of Rian Hughes/Wikimedia Commons
Part of what makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, such an esteemed franchise is “The Plan.” Fans trust that each and every installation plays a part in moving some greater plot forward. The original saga, The Infinity Saga, did this very well. Each movie seemed to factor into the others, and even if they did not seem to obviously connect quite as well with the other movies at the time, they would introduce important concepts, such as a new Infinity Stone. Even more so, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) were so clearly the buildup of everything the MCU had constructed, with not a single installment being left out of this final chapter.
The final chapters of the MCU’s current saga, The Multiverse Saga, Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), have not inspired faith they could accomplish the same feat. Installments in the The Multiverse Saga have scarcely connected to each other, and it is hard to believe in any sort of grand plan, when there is so much going on that has not gone anywhere. Just as concerning as the fact that a couple projects have been hanging in limbo for years now, so fans have no idea where they could fit into the greater plan for the studio anymore.
The first of these projects is Armor Wars. The project was initially announced way back in 2020 as a series, according to Marvel. It was meant to center around the character James Rhodes, better known as War Machine and played by Don Cheadle, dealing with the aftermath of Iron Man’s death. As War Machine was always presented as Iron Man’s closest friend, this would have likely been a story of the main character processing his grief, along with the more tangible threat of dealing with any Iron Man’s tech that had fallen into dangerous hands. A couple years later, in 2022, it was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that the series was going to be reworked into a movie. Now, condensing what was once a series into a meager two and half hours is not always the best creative decision, but given that Armor Wars is yet to have so much as a release date, there is most likely time to tell the story that needs to be told correctly.
A new development emerged about a year later, when the series Secret Invasion (2023) was released, and Marvel fans learned that War Machine had apparently been replaced by Skrull, a shape-shifting alien, who for a period of time the show did not reveal. Some fans believe that War Machine may have been replaced by an imposter all the way back in Captain American: Civil War (2016). This is a new wrinkle a project centering around War Machine would have to address. The only problem—the fans hated that twist, with Secret Invasion (2023) being one of the most hated Marvel projects to date, as a glance on Rotten Tomatoes proves. Rumors began to circle, as summarized in an article by the Comic Book Movie, that Armor Wars was going through rewrites due to the Secret Invasion (2023) backlash, likely to ensure Rhodey was not actually an imposter for quite as long as suspected before.
Armor Wars has gone quite a while without receiving an update, and though it has not been outright cancelled yet, it is difficult to get excited for a project with such an uncertain future. Moreover, it will most likely be difficult for casual fans to even care to watch a film that is not only directly connected to one of the greatest MCU flops in Secret Invasion (2023), but is also likely to have been in development so long, it may no longer connect the greater theme of the saga anymore. The only plotline we have of exploring Iron Man's death is nearly seven years old at this point.
Unfortunately, this is not the only Marvel Project with an uncertain future. Another is Blade, centering around a new arrival to the MCU, the superhero Blade, a monster hunter who is half-vampire himself. This movie would have explored the supernatural elements of the MCU, and the titular character would be played by Mahershala Ali. This was an exciting release, especially when it was revealed that it may even be rated R, according to an article on IGN. This would highlight the darker, grittier aspects that are needed for a character like Blade.
Unfortunately, the future of Blade inspires even less faith than Armor Wars. The film has been delayed a ridiculous number of times already. According to Marvel, it was supposed to come out all the way back on Nov. 11, 2023, but was delayed to Sept. 6, 2024. The same source would later confirm that it had been moved to Feb. 14, 2025, then moved again to Nov. 7, 2025. Those dates have come and gone, and Blade currently still sits without any release date.
To make matters worse, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the script needed to be completely rewritten in 2023, and had gone through multiple writers. The movie has even let go of multiple actors such as Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre. Production of Blade is a disaster, and it is hard not to wonder if it can even be salvaged enough to make a worthwhile film.