Marvel Rumored to Recast Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa Ahead of Black Panther 3

Of all the forks that Kevin Feige and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have had to deal with over the years, perhaps none has been more significant than the tragic death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman in 2020 While many were caught off guard by his secret battle with cancer for several years, director Ryan Coogler and his creative team wasted no time in turning what became Wakanda Forever into a feature-length celebration of the actor’s life and the void left by his passing. . This meant acknowledging T’Challa’s death with an in-universe explanation and passing the mantle to his supporting cast (namely his sister Shura, played by Letitia Wright). rather than remake the character and advancing Coogler’s original plans for a sequel. That choice seemed to set the tone for how the MCU would approach the Black Panther franchise in the years to come … but if it’s to be believed, a new rumor could add a whole new wrinkle.

U The latest The InSneider newsletter from Jeff SnyderScooper claims that the studio appears to be rethinking T’Challa’s future in the MCU. While it’s important to note that Marvel has not commented on the report, and that Snyder himself considers it “based on what I’m hearing from agency sources,” the rumor centers on the idea that the heavy focus on the multiverse moving forward makes it even more likely that Marvel wants to rework T’Challa with another black actor. As Snyder explains:

“Actually, I heard that an actor was offered the role (of T’Challa) last fall, a couple of months after (Robert Downey Jr.’s) big performance at Comic-Con, but they turned it down because they didn’t want to jeopardize their career, stepping into Boseman’s giant shoes, which may be too big for even Hollywood’s most talented black actors to fill.”

Are Shura’s days as our newest Black Panther numbered? That seems to be the main takeaway from Jeff Snyder’s latest report, but there may be a lot of room for interpretation if we start reading between the lines. As for Snyder, he continues that any reluctance on the part of actors to accept the role is only a temporary problem: “But rest assured, someone will be ready to say ‘Yes’ and pay tribute to Boseman with their performance.” ” It’s not known if Marvel plans to include T’Challa in upcoming blockbusters like Avengers: Judgment Day or Avengers: Secret War, but the report says that “it’s fair to assume that whoever is cast in the role character will reprise the role in Black Panther 3.“

But what if not everything exactly how does it seem? Snyder seems confident that the T’Challa his sources are referring to actually means Chadwick Boseman’s character, but remember that Wakanda Forever introduced him and Nakia’s (Lupita Nyong’o) young son in a post-credits scenealso named T’Challa. Isn’t it possible (if unlikely) that all this talk of a T’Challa remake is actually about a grown-up version of the character? It would certainly fit the implications of this particular scene and Wakanda Forever as a whole, which relied heavily on the idea of ​​honoring Boseman’s legacy through the characters closest to him.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that the decision to cut the character from live-action (he’s since appeared in a few episodes of Marvel’s What If…) has caused a certain amount of consternation among Marvel fans. T’Challa is a very popular character from the comics, and an argument could be made that keeping him in the mix throughout the MCU would be another way to pay tribute to Boseman. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how Black Panther 3 develops. will likely feature Denzel Washington in an unknown role.