Marvel Studios is facing a problem. The Black Panther franchise is in a crossroads after Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020.
Nearly 60,000 people have signed the Change.org petition to Recast T’Challa. Marvel’s VP of Development Nate Moore stated that the MCU does not want to recast T’Challa in order to honor Boseman’s legacy. Chadwick’s brother Derrick Boseman supports the idea of recasting his iconic character. Where do we go from there?
It is a wise decision not to recast Boseman’s role, but T’Challa has a rich past and is a great character. Due to its cultural impact and story, “Black Panther” was one of the most critically acclaimed MCU movies. It received many nominations and was even nominated by the Academy Awards for “Best Picture.” This was also the first time that Black people were represented on the big screen.
Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther at Marvel Studios, made the final decision. Derrick Boseman stated that Chadwick didn’t give his approval for the recast but that Derrick believed Chadwick would support it. This may be because the character that inspires so many black children and adults is more than the actor.
The sequel to “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has faced many complications since Boseman’s death. Many believe that Letitia Wright will play T’Challa’s sister Shuri. Wright’s views and unvaccinated status have been controversial.
She shared an anti-vaccination clip in a now-deleted blog post and received many negative comments. Although public opinion has shifted a bit now that the pandemic is under control, there’s still not a lot of support for her to play a larger role. All signs point to her becoming the next Black Panther. Shuri is known to have worn the costume in comics.
It is not an easy decision to make, no matter what Marvel Studios or Coogler do. What could give some hope to T’Challa-recast-hopefuls is the quote by Moore. Moore stated that T’Challa will not be seen in the MCU616 universe. Despite all the multiverse shenanigans happening in the MCU, there’s still hope for a T-Challa variant to cross over from another universe. We will have to wait to see what happens.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now wrapped and will premiere in November.
