Last weekend, Marvel Studios released the trailer for the upcoming sequel, “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever.” The original film starred the late Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa. Boseman passed away in 2020, after a four-year silent battle with colon cancer.
“Black Panther,” released in 2018, marks the first Black superhero-led movie in the Marvel franchise and one of its most successful, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Returning cast members for the sequel, which also is directed by Ryan Coogler, include Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke. Cast members also have appeared in other films and series throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans have been concerned about how production would recast T’Challa’s role or pay tribute to Boseman’s legacy.
One person tweeted, “A Black Panther film with no Black Panther. I agree with everyone else, recasting should’ve happened. T’challa has way too many stories to tell. (Don’t give me the ‘but there was a Panther in the last shot for one second.)'”
One social media user pointed out that, “T’Challa is just as important as Steve Rogers, Tony Stark & Thor.”
“If you know the comics, you’re aware of this,” that person continued. “Ending his story arc prematurely isn’t just a bad idea; it’s the biggest attack on an A-list superhero in MCU history. #BlackPantherWakandaForever #RecastTChalla.”
Captain America is the alter of Steve Rogers’ character. Along with Tony “Iron Man” Stark and Thor, the trio is among the founding members of the Avengers group.
Several fans agreed about T’Challa’s importance to the MCU, but many disagreed with boycotting “Wakanda Forever.” One person said, “#RecastTChalla but I’m not going to boycott BPWOW. T’Challa is just as important as any other big Marvel main. His story is not done. We can bring him back respectfully.”
A fourth person said, “I’m gonna have to be carried out of the movie theater. I’m not ok. This is too much.”
In April 2021, “Black Panther” fans launched a petition to recast King T’Challa, considering Boseman’s death. Months later, MCU producer and vice president of development Nate Moore revealed that T’Challa would not be recast in future Marvel films.
“We just couldn’t do it,” he said in November 2021. “When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with Coogler about what do we do, and it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character.”
“Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters on Nov. 11.
