Marvel’s Blade Cancellation Confirms the End of Game of Thrones Actor’s MCU Future

2 hours ago 5

Published Sep 1, 2026, 10:33 AM EDT

Alas, Dane Whitman, we hardly knew ye

Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, and Lia McHugh in Eternals (2021)

Marvel Studios' Eternals famously ended with a post-credits scene that introduced Harry Styles — as Thanos' brother! — into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a loose thread that hasn't been addressed since the film was released in 2021. There was, however, another post-credits scene that teased a heroic future for Kit Harington's Dane Whitman. This thread has also gone completely ignored by the MCU, and Harington has revealed that this won't be changing anytime soon.

The Game of Thrones star told MovieWeb that while he'd love to return, "I don't think there's any plan to. I hate to break it to you." That isn't all surprising given Marvel's treatment of Eternals and its characters since the movie was released. The star-studded picture directed by Chloé Zhao, the award-winning director behind 2021's Nomadland, was a critical and commercial flop by Marvel standards. There has been no talk of a sequel or even appearances by the main cast in other MCU projects since then.

Who was Kit Harington's Dane Whitman supposed to become in the MCU?

The post-credits scene showed Whitman finally acquiring his iconic Ebony Blade while an off-screen character asked if he was ready for it. This teased that Harington would reprise Whitman in a future project, in which he would finally take on the Black Knight moniker. In another interesting twist of fate, that off-screen voice was Mahershala Ali in his only performance as Blade in the MCU.

Kit Harington and Gemma Chan in a shot from Eternals

After years of delays, Ali finally revealed this July that he had "moved on" from the role. He placed the blame squarely at Marvel's feet, saying "[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 as disappointed as fans are; he called Whitman "a wicked character" and "a great parable of addiction."

There is always a slight chance that Harington is just playing coy before a surprise appearance in a project like this year's Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel does love its secrecy. However, the link to one of the most derided projects in the MCU makes Harington's return seem increasingly unlikely, even if he hasn't closed the door as firmly as Ali. With a new phase of the MCU approaching, Marvel seems more focused on the future than on tying up loose ends from the past.

Read Entire Article