I know that for some, just the fact that Blade is Black makes this movie progressive, but for me it's not enough. In some ways he is exactly like Bonnie from The Vampire Diaries - a White man painted Black. Though Whistler found him when he was a young man, that does explain the absolute absence of any cultural markers. This, combined with the fact that the female protagonist changes from a dark skinned Black woman, to the Chilean Lenore Valera, who played Nyssa, tells me that the creators weren't heavily invested in making a real racial statement. I am thankful that they didn't have a White female lead, but what does it say that with proof that the series was in fact bankable, that the writers, directors and producers, felt comfortable moving away from a Black woman?
I have never been one for action flicks. They don't challenge the mind, or add anything new to discourse. More hypermasculinity is not what the world needs, and when it comes to Black men, the fact that this is considered the natural state is problematic. I will say that White male hypermasculinity is very normalized, while Black male hypermasculinity is often construed to be a threat and so twisting this to be a good quality in a Black male is new. But rather than legitimizing any form of hypermasculinity, we should be attempting to eradicate it, rather than constructing it as honourable or noble as the writers of Blade II attempted to do. In terms of gender it is reductive and limiting. It places Blade into a position where he must always be the hero and violently save not only the day but the female protagonist. For as strong of a character that Nyssa was, Blade still saved her life twice, thus reinforcing traditional gender roles.
It is further problematic that Whistler was brought back from the dead. Sure, White people adopt Black kids, but in this case, Whistler becomes a paternalistic figure. Having him die and stay dead, would have given Blade a sense of independence but in the end, Blade continues to be beholden to a White man, regardless of his skill set. If that were not enough, Whistler ends up saving Blade's life asserting the idea that Black men are always beholden in some way to Black men.
