When Chadwick Boseman passed away after a secret fight with cancer, it wasn’t just fans that remained stunned. The illness was apparently a secret so well-kept that even the studios were taken by surprise. Marvel and Disney found themselves mourning the beloved actor who should have been the star of not just Black Panther: Wakanda Forever but the entire Multiverse Saga.
Soon after Boseman’s passing, there’s been a huge wave of support for him, with MCU fans asking Marvel and Disney not to recast the role. Instead, Marvel should just pass on the Black Panther mantle to someone else. Shuri (Letitia Wright), who eventually became Black Panther in Wakanda Forever, was among the lead candidates for the hero role.
The pandemic delays helped Marvel find its footing for the Black Panther sequel. Kevin Feige & Co. used the movie to pay a final homage to Boseman as we saw the world of Wakanda mourn its leader and hero.
But as time passed, a new wave formed. Some fans were asking for a T’Challa recast. This wasn’t about Boseman’s legacy but about the character’s importance in the MCU and the comics. It so happens that the Wakanda Forever credits set up a soft Black Panther recast. That is, we learned T’Challa had a son, and he could very well follow in his dad’s footsteps.
Five years after Boseman’s passing, we’re getting close to Marvel’s big Avengers movies that will conclude the Multiverse Saga. It looks like Marvel is already working on a T’Challa recast, and it might do it right in time for the character to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, Secret Wars, or both movies.
Some spoilers might follow below.
T’Challa’s passing wasn’t the only cast problem that Marvel had to deal with since Endgame. William Hurt, who played Thaddeus Ross in several MCU movies, passed away. Marvel was quicker to recast him, as the character plays a critical role in the upcoming Captain America 4 movie. Harrison Ford will play President Ross and Red Hulk in Brave New World, which premieres in February.
Then, there was the Jonathan Majors scandal, which prompted many to wonder whether a recast was in the works. I wanted to keep seeing Kang in the MCU, even if that meant having a different actor play the role. But Marvel went in a different direction, looking to distance itself from Kang, whom audiences might associate with Majors.
Marvel changed its plans for Avengers 5 and Secret Wars, giving the former a different title, bringing back the Russo brothers to direct both movies, and turning to Robert Downey Jr. to play the new titular villain, a version of Doctor Doom.
What I’m getting at is that Marvel had to deal with several key cast crises in the five years that passed since Boseman’s death. Recasting T’Challa in time for Doomsday and Secret Wars seems only fitting.
Not to mention that Marvel has a unique chance to do it. The Multiverse Saga gives Marvel the tools it needs to reframe the MCU ahead of the rumored soft reboot that will follow Secret Wars. Marvel can currently call upon any superhero it sees fit, including characters who might have died in the MCU.
Marvel used the multiverse to bring back Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) without twisting common sense. While the new Gamora didn’t get enough screen time, the new Loki and Wolverine variants certainly impressed, making us forget the previous versions.
Then there’s the entire What If…? animated TV show, which gave us all sorts of exciting variants of our favorite superheroes from the multiverse.
Similarly, Marvel will bring a Fantastic Four team to the MCU from a different reality. That team might then remain in the main universe. If rumors are accurate, the same might happen with other X-Men variants from the Fox movies who should appear in Secret Wars.
With all that in mind, Jeff Sneider’s claim that Marvel has already met with an actor to offer the T’Challa/Black Panther role isn’t surprising. Marvel probably wants to make sure that Doomsday and especially Secret Wars will have all the shock and awe fans expect while also serving its own needs.
It’s unclear who the actor was, as Sneider doesn’t mention a name in his report on The InSneider. But said actor reportedly turned down the role to avoid jeopardizing their career by taking the role. That is, Marvel might be ready for a Black Panther recast, but the actors who could play the character might not be.
It’ll be interesting to see how and when the new T’Challa appears. Also, I can’t help but wonder whether this T’Challa variant will remain in the main MCU timeline that we’ll follow after Secret Wars.
I’ll remind you that Denzel Washington accidentally leaked that he’ll have a role in Black Panther 3. I wouldn’t expect the movie to hit theaters before Secret Wars. But a Black Panther recast would make sense for that sequel as well.
