Another installment of the Marvel hit, Black Panther, was released on November 11, 2022, and has stirred quite a bit of controversy. Since the loss of their incredible lead actor, Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 of colon cancer, no one quite knew how the franchise would continue without him. Social media was divided with numerous people wanting Marvel to recast Chadwick Boseman’s role of T’Challa and others wanting them not to, out of respect for him.
Although Marvel decided not to recast T’Challa, in the Black Panther comics, T’Challa’s half-sister, Shuri, becomes the new Black Panther. Marvel is basically sticking to the comics when it comes to bringing the story on the big screen. So, say if Chadwick would’ve been alive today, his role in the Black Panther probably would have been small but still impactful. According to Empire Online, Marvel boss, Kevin Feige, opened up on the decision not to recast T’Challa. He stated, “It just felt like it was much too soon to recast.” When the news broke that Chadwick had passed away, who would be playing Black Panther, is all people could talk about, so it would’ve been very disrespectful to recast in the midst of his death and because he brought life to the character like no other.
After the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, some fans were unhappy that Marvel didn’t replace Chadwick Boseman, and the movement “Recast T’Challa” that was created in 2020 emerged again. Spoiler alert, T’Challa dies in the second film due to illness, which led to fans to criticize how Marvel handled his death since he’s a man with so many superpowers that could’ve easily prevented it. A quote from The Direct says, “A Twitter user argued that Marvel Studios is using Chadwick Boseman’s death as ‘a plot device in their fictional storytelling.'” However, Marvel is honoring Chadwick and his contributions to the franchise and also allowing a black woman to step into the shoes of Black Panther, which the rest of the fans are happy about.
Despite the controversy, Letitia Wright did a fantastic job in her role as the new Black Panther, and the legacy of Chadwick Boseman will continue to live on forever.
Photo Credit / Marvel Studios
