Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’ll go lighter on Geekly News for the next few weeks. Protospiel Kansas City is next weekend. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t miss a News post.

MCU Cancels Blade Movie

On one hand, the MCU cancelling Blade comes as a surprise. A trusted insider announced a day prior that Blade had a new director, but then another trusted insider, World of Reel, made the announcement that Blade was nixed. No one has questioned World of Reel’s claim…yet. Blade has had the worst luck in the past few years. Actors have committed and then de-committed. The same goes for directors. And the script has been chopped up and rewritten so many times that it looks like someone tried to reconstruct a ream of paper from the confetti dumped on Times Square during New Year’s. In short, the MCU’s Blade was cursed.

I’m glad Marvel ended the failing production. Blade should return. He’s a popular character, and I’d like to see the MCU’s take on Blade. Rumors persist that Blade will appear in a team-up movie like Avengers: Doomsday or Midnight Sons. But if Blade were to get his own vehicle, perhaps Marvel could give him a Special on Disney+. Marvel hasn’t released a Special on the streaming platform since 2022’s Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special. I didn’t care for the Christmas Special; it played like the Star Wars Christmas Special. Yuck! But Marvel’s previous special, October 2022’s Werewolf By Night, was among the best productions in the MCU’s Phase Four.

Werewolf By Night saw even more success after it became part of 2023’s Huluween. This proves that the format works and has legs. An annual (or a series of annual) Marvel After Dark Special(s) could also work to organize the MCU’s release schedule. Spectacles get movie releases. Street-level heroes receive a TV series. Horror/macabre characters feature in Marvel Specials. Blade would fit in with Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, and Elsa Bloodstone. We’ll see many of these characters (including Blade) in Midnight Sons, but I’d like to see more of Marvel’s darkest corners. Even though Blade won’t get a solo movie, and that’s disappointing, it could lead to something special.

Black Panther 3 to be Released February 2028

Ryan Coogler, director of the first two Black Panther films, said in an interview (with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco) that Black Panther 3 is closer than movie-goers think. The MCU plans to introduce Prince T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman’s character’s son, in the upcoming movies. Avengers: Doomsday is a little soon, but Prince T’Challa could make an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Two Marvel comic book crossover series have been named “Secret Wars,” one in 1984 and another in 2015. The Russo brothers have stated that they will pull from both comics. T’Challa plays a pivotal role in the second “Secret Wars,” so it would make sense if Prince T’Challa is in play for that movie or both films: Doomsday and Secret Wars.

In a previous Geekly News post, we shared that Denzel Washington will feature in Black Panther 3. We mentioned a few characters Washington could portray. Here’s a quick recap. Achebe is a brilliant and unhinged adversary from the Black Panther comics. The First Black Panther Bashenga could explore Wakanda’s lore. Or perhaps he could play the Shadow King, a powerful telepathic mutant villain.

But (in that same interview with Sharpe and Ochocinco) Coogler teased that Washington could portray a role that could shake the entire MCU. He dropped a few hints, and internet sleuths have deduced that Coogler could be alluding to Denzel Washington playing Magneto. This wouldn’t be the first time that Wakanda went head-to-head with a leader who only wants what’s best for their people and may take drastic measures to protect them. 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Namor strikes a similar chord. Washington would be a great choice for Magneto. Regardless of Washington’s role, we can’t wait for Black Panther 3.

Six Sojourns: An Eight-Minute Empire Game

Red Raven Games revisits one of their earliest designs, Eight-Minute Empire. Six Sojourns builds on the short area control game. The original game’s title is a misnomer. It takes about forty minutes to play Six Sojourns, not eight minutes, but forty minutes is a short game for the game type. Six Sojourns features tough choices, allows for creative strategies and tactics, and promotes high player interaction.

Ryan Laukat serves as the illustrator and game designer of Six Sojourns. He’s had board game hits like Above and Below, Near and Far, Sleeping Gods, and Now or Never. Six Sojourns showcases Laukat’s unique artwork. My favorite feature from Six Sojourns is its three double-sided maps: Red Rock Islands, Volcano, and Northern Seas. Six Sojourns is available now on Gamefound.

G.I. Joe: Operation Cobra

OC Games launched G.I. Joe: Operation Cobra this past week. The game features cooperative tactical action and has plenty of miniatures. OC Games was founded last year, so G.I. Joe: Operation Cobra is one of their first releases. The company focuses on adapting intellectual properties from the 80s and 90s into board games. I can’t speak to the quality of their games yet, but they did capture the look of G.I. Joe from the 80s.

The character cards look like the cards one could cut out from the back of a G.I. Joe toy. OC Games has a knack for tapping into nostalgia. At one point, OC Games had posted G.I. Joe: Operation Cobra on Tabletop Simulator (TTS) so players could demo the game. OC Games’ website has loading issues, I’ll post their update on Gamefound for their Tabletop Simulator announcement. If you’d like to see the game’s pretty miniatures, check out the game’s page on Gamefound.

Funko Bitty Pop Arcade

Funko Pop expands its number of collectible series with Funko Bitty Pop Arcade. Classic cabinet arcade systems inspire these collectibles. The first series of Funko Bitty Pop Arcade will include Wreck-It Ralph, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tron, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. The Five Nights at Freddy’s collectible is the oddball of the bunch as it resembles a claw machine. At $8 apiece, Funko Bitty Pop Arcades are a frugal way to start a collection. These items will be released in early July 2025, and you can pre-order them from Amazon.

That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Hopefully, we’ll have a news post next week. Until next time, thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.