Kris Kristofferson played Whistler in the Blade trilogy, starting in his early 60s, and now with the new announcement that Mahershala Ali will become the new MCU Blade, it seems fitting to search for his most trusted friend and cast the MCU Whistler. These are just a few names that could take the role. I personally feel this is a role with only the attitude needing to be the same, so this choice is open to everyone 50 or over.
1: John Goodman
John Goodman is an actor that has given us countless wonderful performances throughout the years, but one thing he hasn’t done is appear in a comic book movie. This is one role that could be perfect for him, he could bring us the moody broken figure that is determined to get revenge on vampires who took his family. Goodman can make him a supportive character and one that we want to see get his chance to help Blade take out everything that gets in his way. He will also be able to handle any comedy that might get written for him and now this is his chance to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
2: Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster is also a two time Oscar winner. She has proven herself for years as an actress that will break any mold thrown her way and taking up the role of the MCU Whistler would change everything. She will still bring the broken figure with the smarts to try and defeat all vampire enemies too. She doesn’t take too many roles nowadays because of her work behind the camera, but this could offer her a chance to grab a well-known figure and make it her own for the next audience to see just how talented she truly is.
3: Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe is an actor who made a huge impact when he appeared in Batman Begins. Since then he has been going from film to film, stealing the show, never being given a truly iconic role. Just this year alone he appeared in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. It is about time Ken was given a role that he can truly sink his teeth into. He can be the man of little words, the planner, broken one, this role would give him a franchise that is safe to be involved in for the future for his career too.
4: Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage has teased the superhero genre in the past, with him being planned for a Superman role in the ’90s, while he has gone into the edgy comic book roles with Kick-ass and Ghost Rider. Nicolas has been able to take the mentor or supporting role in the past. Whistler would give him a chance to be brooding at times, but he could easily snap at the straighter-faced MCU Blade, he could bring all the Cage madness that he has become famous for, even though in this film he could just make Whistler a colorful foul-mouthed character (if Disney let him) which would bring the life and comedy to the film. I will admit this is the strangest of my picks, but it is about time we saw Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
5: Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler is potentially the strangest of my picks here. He has recently become one of those actors who has some fun action films in his past, only now his action films tend to go unnoticed when compared to something like 300. Gerard is an actor that could easily be the broken man that wants to make up for his mistakes (see Law Abiding Citizen for this type of performance) and he would be able to help fight next to the MCU Blade too. This could be a chance to bring his star power back, which he deserves in the action genre.
6: Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang is most famous for his role in Avatar, where he was a colonel that didn’t want to stop at anything to take control of the planet. In Don’t Breathe is showed a twisted dark side that not many actors could have pulled off. Whistler does have a darker side which you could see Lang pulling off with his eyes closed, making him seem like a true threat to everything going on in the MCU Blade universe. He does have a calming presence when he wants to, which only helps for his potential to take over this role one day.
7: Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx might have had a bad time in his superhero comic book film in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but everyone deserves a second chance. With Whistler Jamie will get a role that will show his acting abilities, he will show the emotional side effects that drive Whistler, he will be one of the strongest of these suggestions in combat too. Jamie will also bring his own version of cool to this role, which could paint the MCU Whistler in a different light to what we got the first time around.
8: Richard Jenkins
Richard Jenkins has made a career in recent years as the older wiser man, sometimes filled with regret, which is what will be needed for Whistler. He knows how to make a big impact and with Whistler’s limited fighting, the physical side to the character isn’t going to be holding him back in any way. With his Oscar-nominated performance in The Shape of Water, we can see how he can be a mentor and friend to an outsider, which will make him an excellent choice.
9: Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an actor that has made a career out of fighting against the odds from both sides of any story. His closest encounters with vampires was From Dusk Till Dawn, where he brought us a figure that couldn’t compete one on one with any vampire, but used his brains to find a way to defeat them. While he might be one of the oldest of this selection, he will bring street smarts to this character that could make him stand out next to Ali.
Who would you pick to play Whistler in the new Blade movie?
