Summary

• Blade's iconic opening scene at the blood rave set the tone for an action-packed, dark superhero movie experience.
• The film differentiated itself by being more action-oriented than traditional vampire films, making it stand out.
• Wesley Snipes' portrayal of Blade established him as a cool, no-nonsense action hero, inspiring future comic book interpretations.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered several iconic superhero movie moments throughout its run of over 15 years. This includes bringing characters that were once obscure to the big screen and delivering scenes that moviegoers all over the world recognize. Long before this shared universe, however, there was another Marvel Comics adaptation that has an opening that's just as well-known.

Blade was a successful "superhero" horror movie based on the Marvel character from the Tomb of Dracula comic book series. Many viewers of the Wesley Snipes feature didn't even know that it was based on a comic book, with the film instead reveling in dark, supernatural action. These elements were exemplified best in the movie's opening sequence, which is still remembered for its effortlessly embracing the "rule of cool."

The Opening to the First Blade Movie Was a Bloody Good Time

The opening sequence to the first Blade movie is iconic for just how awesome it is, and not just from an aesthetic standpoint. The famous "blood rave" scene set the pace for the movie's tone and scope, namely separating it from the more "wholesome" superhero fare of the past. In the intro, a randy young lad is riding in the car with his date before they venture to their destination: an underground rave. The music in Blade's blood rave is pulse-pounding and headthrobbing, with characters dancing to and fro and the young man seen earlier is left bewildered. His confusing scene turns to fear, however, as the reason behind the event's "bloodbath" moniker is revealed.

Blood begins to sprinkle from the ceiling, and the sprinklers soon gush it forth like an open body. The crowd goes wild, and it's this bloodlust that reveals them to be vampires, with the very human young man scared for his life. Thankfully, he and the nearby vampires soon note the presence of a lone man clad in leather. This is none other than Blade the Vampire Hunter, who promptly makes quick work of the bloodsucking scum in the club. It's a vicious, visceral fight scene that has Blade absolutely dominating his prey, and it was nothing like a scene from a Superman or even a Batman movie. This, in particular, was what made the scene and the movie as a whole so beloved.

Why Blade's Opening Sequence Is So Iconic

The blood rave scene in Blade is notable for several reasons, most of all how it differentiated the film from both classic superhero movies and vampire flicks. It was a lot more action-oriented than the more horror and suspense-based vampire movies of old, with the action displayed by Wesley Snipes' Blade being on par with anything seen in a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. At the same time, it was definitely within the nature of that era's action movies. Conversely, the main reason why many didn't realize that Blade was a comic book movie (besides the character's obscurity) was how it differed from the most iconic examples of the genre.

Superman was still defined solely by the lighthearted movies featuring Christopher Reeve, whereas even the darker Batman had gone back down the alleyway of camp by way of Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin. Thus, having a "superhero" so mercilessly striking against enemies was a welcome change of pace, and there was nothing kid-friendly about it. The scene is also a great example of late 1990s/early 2000s New York City culture. The club itself and how the man had to walk through an actual meat locker to get to it was part and parcel with NY clubs at the time, namely the techno music scene. There was a sense of an underground world that was removed from the mainstream, prying eyes, which was also the case for vampires themselves.

While the blood rave is mostly an excellent and fun way to start the movie in terms of visuals, it also establishes its world in only a few minutes, making the miasma of blood, guts, gore and music into one of the quickest forms of exposition, in a way. Even Blade himself is well-characterized throughout the scene, with the vampire hunter being firm, stoic and dedicated to his task. He never shirks from his responsibility or questions why he has to take vampires down, and he's self-assured that the creatures are heartless monsters that deserve death.

Blade is the epitome of a cool action hero, albeit one with just the right dose of charm and wit. Those latter elements made him a cut above other 1990s action movie heroes, who were largely awkward, poorly-acted and only seemed cool due to their martial arts moves. This interpretation went on to inspire Blade's later appearances in the comics. The success of Blade made Wesley Snipes into as much of a true-blue action star as he was a comic book movie star, with the film spawning two sequels starring the actor. Now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is planning to introduce a new version of Blade, though that movie certainly has an uphill battle in being even equal to the original.

The MCU's Blade Has Big Shoes to Fill

Announced in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade project is a reboot that's completely separate from the continuity of the Wesley Snipes movies. The film will star Mahershala Ali, who both previously portrayed Cottonmouth/Cornell Stokes in the MCU Netflix series Luke Cage and briefly voiced Blade off-screen in 2021's Eternals. The MCU's Blade has been delayed several times, with many fans fearing that it might eventually be canceled. These suspicions have been strengthened due to the current woes being experienced by the shared universe, with recent projects such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and especially The Marvels being failures at the box office and with fans. Likewise, other upcoming movies and shows aren't as hotly-anticipated as their predecessors, though Blade is still drawing interest among those familiar with the version starring Wesley Snipes.

Even if the MCU Blade movie is good, it will have to contend with the legacy that the 1998 Blade movie and its sequels left. The first film in particular is beloved by many, with scenes such as the blood rave stamping it as a gem of its era. If anything, the Marvel Cinematic Universe version will have to at least have an introduction as exciting and definitive as that one, otherwise, it may immediately be deemed a failure by some. Doing something so bloody will also require that the film be rated R, meaning that the MCU will have to break out of its family-friendly mold. After all, even the Netflix Marvel shows and the "Marvel Spotlight" series Echo seemed tame compared to the first Blade movie.

A more adult-oriented tone for a movie project is already happening through the upcoming MCU movie Deadpool & Wolverine, though both the first two Deadpool movies and 2017's Logan were already R-rated. Thus, there's something of a precedent for that film to be rated as such, and Deadpool is also more of a comedic character. Blade is far more serious and arguably even "edgier," with the blood rave scene showcasing this perfectly. Anything less than this intro would be a poor introduction to the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thus, the film will need to pull out all the stops to both make the new Blade movie as bloody as possible while also having an opening sequence that's as immediately cool as what the 1998 original started things off with.