- The late Chadwick Boseman played T’Challa in Black Panther
- The character of T’Challa died off-screen in Black Panther 2
- Marvel now apparently open to recasting the character
When Chadwick Boseman passed away, Marvel said it would not recast T’Challa, which he played in Black Panther. But now, it seems Marvel is open to the idea.
According to Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider, Marvel has had a change of heart. He reported that: “with Marvel reshuffling the deck in advance of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and Robert Downey Jr coming back not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom, I’m told that the door is firmly open for T’Challa to be recast via the magic of the multiverse.
Recasting T’Challa
In the MCU, T’Challa died off-screen at the beginning of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with his sister, Shuri assuming the mantle of Black Panther.
The decision not to recast T’Challa after Boseman’s death in 2020 was in part as a tribute to him, and the impact he had on the role, which he played from 2016-19, appearing in the Black Panther movie, as well as several other MCU films.
A Black Panther 3 is rumored but has yet to be officially announced by Marvel. However, the next two Avengers films are said to be involving many the MCU superheroes that have appeared before, so to not include Black Panther would be an odd omission.
There are a couple of ways that T’Challa could be brought back – as any comic book fan knows, death is rarely the end for a character. As Sneider said, Marvel is still in the midst of its multiverse saga, so a T’Challa from an alternate universe would likely be the easiest route. It could open up the role to a different interpretation of the character.
Also, the character died off-screen, so a device where the death was faked could easily be created.
If T’Challa is recast, it also opens the question of what happens to Shuri, who took over the role. Would there instead be two Black Panthers?
Who would play T’Challa
But if T’Challa is brought back into the MCU, who would play him? Sneider reported that an actor was offered the role of T’Challa last year but turned it down, not wanting to jeopardize their career momentum by stepping into the rather large shoes of Boseman.
However, Sneider added that if the role is recast, it would be done with care and with consultation with Boseman’s family.
