Wesley Snipes has achieved two Guinness World Records with his role as Blade. Returning to his iconic character in Deadpool & Wolverine, Snipes has now set the record for the longest career as a live-action Marvel character.
He surpassed his co-star Hugh Jackman, marking 25 years and 240 days since he first played Blade in 1998. This achievement eclipses Jackman’s record attempt, as he first portrayed Wolverine in X-Men (2000) and was expected to claim the title with the release of Deadpool 3.
In addition, Snipes’ surprise cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine set another record for the longest gap between appearances of a Marvel character. His previous role as Blade was in Blade: Trinity (2004), making a 19-year and 231-day interval before his return in the new film. This surpasses Alfred Molina’s 17-year gap between playing Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Snipes’ Blade, among several cameos in the film, teams up with the title characters and other Marvel figures like Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Gambit (Channing Tatum), and X-23 (Dafne Keen) to confront Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) and her mutants. Chris Evans also made a return, not as Captain America but as Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four.
Marvel has been working on a new Blade film featuring Mahershala Ali, though it has faced several setbacks. Snipes humorously noted in Deadpool & Wolverine that he remains the definitive Blade on screen. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige mentioned last month that despite the film’s delays, maintaining quality and achieving an R rating remains a priority.