The Marvel Cinematic Universe, SDCC, heck, even this site! None of it would exist without Wesley Snipes. Before he took on the role of C-list vampire hunter Blade for the 1998 movie directed by Stephen Norrington, the only successful superhero movies featured Batman or Superman, and those franchises were on the downswing. The only previous Marvel movie released in theaters was 1986’s notorious flop Howard the Duck. Most Marvel properties were substandard direct to VHS releases, such as the Punisher movie starring Dolph Lundgren and missing a skull logo, or embarrassing tv movies, especially Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD with David Hasselhoff in the title role.
With Blade, Snipes and his effortless poise transformed the tired superhero genre into something exciting, vibrant, and cool. Despite the disastrous and controversial Blade: Trinity, fans have long been clamoring for Snipes to return to the genre and join the MCU. Most expected him to make some sort of appearance in the Blade reboot currently in production, starring Mahershala Ali in the title role. But Snipes will be showing up ahead of schedule, in the most surprising way.
As part of Marvel’s animation announcements at SDCC, the studio released not only a clip of the animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur but also a look at its list of guest voice actors. Alongside Hamilton star Daveed Diggs and Stranger Things breakout Maya Hawke, Wesley Snipes will be voicing an undisclosed character. Could it be Blade?
If Snipes is playing the Daywalker, he’ll have to tone down his performance pretty significantly. A children’s cartoon headed to the Disney Channel, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur stars Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette aka Moon Girl, a little girl/genius who forms a bond with a red mutant T-Rex called Devil Dinosaur (voiced by animation veteran Fred Tatasciore). The 90-second clip featuring Moon Girl’s unsuccessful attempt to stop some burglars shows a playful, irreverent tone, perfect for kids 7-13.
The show adapts a recent comic book series of the same name from writers Brandon Montclare and
Amy Reeder, artist Natacha Bustos, colorist Tamara Bonvillian, and letterer Travis Lanham. The series updates a previous Jack Kirby concept about Devil Dinosaur and his prehistoric sidekick Moon-Boy, who had adventures in an alternate reality. The new series and the cartoon adaptation bring Devil Dinosaur into the present, where it has whacky misadventures with Moon Girl. In addition to Alfre Woodard, Sasheer Zamata, Jermaine Fowler, and Gary Anthony Williams as members of Lunella’s family, the series will feature Lawrence Fishburne as one of Marvel’s most strange and divisive characters, The Beyonder.
To be sure, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur will be tonally very different from Blade and most of Snipes’s work. But the actor has repeatedly shown himself to be one of the most diverse and capable actors of our generation, as demonstrated in everything from action turns in Blade and Demolition Man to comedic roles such as White Men Can’t Jump and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything; Julie Numar. If anyone can uncover new levels in the Daywalker or can voice another Marvel Comics oddball, it’s Snipes.