Kit Harington, known for his role as Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones', has stated that there are currently no plans for him to reprise his Marvel Cinematic Universe role as Dane Whitman. The character, who was teased to become the Black Knight in a post-credits scene of 2021's 'Eternals', has had his MCU future significantly impacted by the recent news of the 'Blade' film's cancellation.
In an interview with MovieWeb, Harington expressed his desire to return to the role but acknowledged the lack of any concrete plans from Marvel Studios. "I don't think there's any plan to. I hate to break it to you," he stated. This sentiment comes after 'Eternals', directed by Chloé Zhao, underperformed both critically and commercially by Marvel's standards, leading to little follow-up on its various plot threads.
The post-credits scene in 'Eternals' showed Dane Whitman acquiring his ancestral Ebony Blade, with an off-screen voice asking if he was ready. This voice was later revealed to be Mahershala Ali, who was set to star as Blade in a standalone film. However, Ali himself recently confirmed that the 'Blade' project has been shelved, expressing frustration that Marvel did not move forward with the film despite having him under contract. "If they wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie. So we're not doing the movie," Ali said.
Harington described Whitman as "a wicked character" and "a great parable of addiction," suggesting he saw significant potential in exploring the character further. While the actor hasn't entirely closed the door on a future appearance, he indicated that the lack of movement on the 'Blade' film makes a return for Dane Whitman increasingly unlikely. Marvel Studios is reportedly focusing on its upcoming phases, which may mean fewer connections to past, less successful projects. The 'Eternals' cast has not been confirmed for any upcoming MCU appearances since the film's release.