Blade’s Cancellation Marks the End of Game of Thrones Star’s MCU Journey

Marvel Studios’ *Eternals* famously wrapped up with a post-credits scene that introduced Harry Styles as Thanos’ brother, a plot thread that has remained untouched since the film’s 2021 release. Additionally, another post-credits moment hinted at a heroic future for Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman, but this storyline has also been left hanging, and Harington has indicated that there are no plans to revisit it anytime soon.

The *Game of Thrones* actor shared with an outlet that while he would be eager to return, “I don’t think there’s any plan to. I hate to break it to you.” This isn’t particularly shocking, considering Marvel’s handling of *Eternals* and its characters since the film debuted. Directed by Chloé Zhao, who won acclaim for 2021’s *Nomadland*, the film was a critical and commercial disappointment by Marvel’s standards. Since its release, there has been no discussion of a sequel or appearances by the main cast in other MCU projects.

In the post-credits scene, Whitman finally comes into possession of his iconic Ebony Blade, with an off-screen voice asking if he is ready for it. This moment teased Harington’s potential return as Whitman, where he would embrace the Black Knight identity. Interestingly, that off-screen voice belonged to Mahershala Ali, marking his only appearance as Blade in the MCU.

After a series of delays, Ali revealed this past July that he had “moved on” from the role, placing the blame on Marvel. He stated, “[Marvel] had me under contract, they have billions of dollars. If they wanted to do the movie, we would’ve done the movie. So we’re not doing the movie.” Harington seems to share the disappointment felt by fans; he described Whitman as “a wicked character” and “a great parable of addiction.”

There remains a slim possibility that Harington is simply being coy about a surprise appearance in a project like this year’s *Avengers: Doomsday*. Marvel is known for its secrecy, after all. However, the connection to one of the more criticized projects in the MCU makes Harington’s return seem increasingly unlikely, even if he hasn’t completely shut the door like Ali has. With a new phase of the MCU on the horizon, Marvel appears more focused on future stories than resolving past plotlines.