The Marvel Cinematic Universe has risen to become the biggest movie franchise of all time, but before Iron Man ushered in the blockbuster franchise in 2008, audiences were still being treated to Marvel movies. Marvel’s pre-MCU era was a mixed bag of hits and misses that pulled characters like Spider-Man and Ghost Rider straight from comic books for big screen adaptations. As fans await Spider-Man: Brand New Day next year, two of the best pre-MCU Marvel movies just started streaming on Prime Video.
On December 30th, both Blade and its sequel, Blade II, started streaming on Prime Video. The movies, respectively directed by Stephen Norrington and Guillermo del Toro, are based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and star Wesley Snipes as the half-vampire “daywalker” who fights against vampires. Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, and N’Bushe Wright also star in the first movie, with Kristofferson, Norman Reedus, and Ron Perlman appearing in the sequel. The third movie in the franchise, Blade: Trinity, is not streaming on Prime Video.
Blade Paved the Way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Blade is not part of the MCU, but it helped set the stage for the cinematic universe that dominates the box office today. Released about a decade before the MCU officially launched, the film’s $131 million worldwide box office haul proved that audiences were hungry for quality superhero content and showed studios that Marvel properties could be profitable and successful in a time before Marvel Studios formed.
Outside of its financial success proving big-budget comic book movies worked, the movie, which holds a 59% critic score and 78% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, established a template for the MCU. Blade moved away from the often-campy superhero films of the era in favor of a darker, grittier tone that was replicated in superhero films that followed, including future MCU entries. The movie also proved that even lesser-known Marvel characters could thrive on the big screen, something that would later become the focus of many MCU films.
Along with studio investments in other Marvel character adaptations like Fox’s X-Men and Sony’s Spider-Man, Blade built momentum for the Marvel brand, eventually leading the newly formed Marvel Studios to launch the MCU. Decades later, Blade finally entered the MCU with the character’s appearance in the animated Marvel Zombies series. A live-action Blade film set within the MCU starring Mahershala Ali has also been long in the works.
What’s New on Prime Video?
Blade and Blade II were among a final round of additions to Prime Video for 2025. December 30th also brought titles like Practical Magic, Ready Player One, and The Legend of Tarzan to Amazon’s streaming service, while earlier December arrivals included everything from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) to A Minecraft Movie. Prime’s content lineup is set to grow in January 2026 with additions like Alien: Romulus, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and The Breakfast Club.
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