In a year full of tragedies, one of the saddest of 2020 was the passing of Chadwick Boseman, star of the trail-blazing Black Panther. Now, Marvel Studios VP of Development Nate Moore has put to rest discussions on a potential recasting of Boseman's T'Challa in the MCU. Moore, who was a producer on the 2018 blockbuster and its upcoming sequel, previously stated that a digital Chadwick Boseman won't appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as per Carrie Fisher's posthumous appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The future of Black Panther as a franchise has been hanging in the balance after the tragic death of Boseman in 2020 from cancer, and fans have since been speculating on how the sequel will pan out.
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Van Lathan Jr spoke to Moore on the Ringerverse podcast and asked him how likely it was that the character of T'Challa would appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Moore firmly stated, "You will not see T'Challa in the MCU 616 Universe," echoing Disney and Marvel's announcement that T'Challa would not be recast for Black Panther 2 back in December 2020. He went on to say that at no point did he and director Ryan Coogler consider recasting the character, as his presence in MCU is so "tied" to Boseman's performance and they "just couldn't do it." Moore spoke about how the challenge for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is telling the story without that character, something they are in the process of figuring out. He stated his hope for a level of "catharsis" for people returning to the universe without Boseman's T'Challa.
The news comes as comfort for many fans who agree with Moore's statement of the character of T'Challa being intrinsically tied to the late actor and are pleased about Marvel Studios' honoring of Boseman's legacy in Black Panther 2. Moore did, however, make sure to specify that T'Challa would not reappear in the 616 universe, the "main" universe of the MCU. Therefore, the character could potentially appear in the Multiverse played by another actor. It is also worth noting that Moore was clear to separate the on-screen character from that of the comics, leaving the window open for the continuation of his story there.
Despite the potential for a Multiverse appearance, it seems unlikely that T'Challa will appear again for some time given the recency of Boseman's passing and its huge impact. Some fans are skeptical of how Black Panther can continue without Boseman, and even director Coogler has alluded to the difficulty of writing Black Panther 2 without him. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said at the close of last year that the sequel will focus on Wakanda itself and the mythology of the land, leaving some to question what a movie without its star and with only supporting characters will be like.
However, the first film was such a huge success for Marvel Studios, grossing over $1 billion worldwide and netting seven Oscar nominations, that there can be no doubt of its continuation. The sequel also boasts a stellar returning cast that includes Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, and Martin Freeman as CIA agent Everett K. Ross. However the story continues, it's sure to be an unmissable addition to the world of Black Panther and the MCU as a whole and will honor the legacy of Boseman.
