Following a long battle with cancer for four years, Chadwick Boseman, who was the first actor to portray Black Panther in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), died in 2020. This raised questions about how the character will be dealt with moving forward. Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige indicated they would “honor the legacy” of the actor by not recasting King T’Challa.
He declared:
“To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.”
Earlier this year, fans of the character launched a change.org petition in an attempt to persuade Marvel Studios “to continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU.”
This is the petition:
If Marvel Studios removes T’Challa, it would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him. This includes millions of other fans that were also inspired by T’Challa.
If you don’t recast, this could make it difficult for Black super heroes to build on their legacy. To kill a legend it is best to not tell their story.
The petition also clarifies that it is not intended to replace Boseman’s Black Panther, but to “continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU” and that “#RecastTChalla is a call to fulfill the role that Chadwick Boseman worked so hard for the world to see.”
During an interview with TMZ earlier this month, Derrick Boseman, brother of Chadwick, indicated he believed the actor would want Marvel Studios to recast King T’Challa. He explained that Chadwick believed the Black Panther character was bigger than just himself and “knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries.”
From TMZ
Derrick says there aren’t a whole lot of positive influences for young black children these days — he thinks hip-hop glorifies certain social ills, and Marvel has a chance to counteract that by bringing back T’Challa — who he sees as a symbol of Black people’s potential.
The guy speaks from experience, telling us his own nephew has told the family he wants to be a scientist and cites ‘Black Panther’ as his inspiration.
He does note … Chadwick never explicitly expressed his wishes, before his death, about what should happen with the character — but Derrick’s sure his bro would agree T’Challa should live on in the MCU.
Marvel Studios plans to release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”By 2022
I’m going to be blunt: Refusing to recast King T’Challa would be a travesty.
Black Panther has been a prominent character in Marvel Comics Comics over the decades. He quickly became a more popular hero when his debut movie was released in 2018. His story was about a new leader who struggled with the legacy of his country’s past and his transformation from a vengeance-seeker to a man who overcame the temptation to kill the man who murdered his father.
Beyond that, Killmonger’s battle was a sign of something more, the struggle between black separatist views and unity for all races. This raised questions about the tension between these two schools.
The character provided more representation of black children than any other. His character was something black children could identify with and would be a role model for them. This character transcended all racial lines.
I remember the controversy started by adherents of the wokeism religion who contended that white parents should not let their little white sons dress up as King T’Challa because it constituted some form of cultural appropriation or whatever other BS they came up with. Chadwick and the other cast members of the film disagreed.
He praised the idea that children of color could be dressed up like the character during an interview. He said, “I’ve seen little white kids dressed up as T’Challa. I’ve seen pictures, and I’ve seen it in person.”
Sterling K. Brown, who also starred in the film, was also happy that white children wished to dress up as T’Challa. “This Halloween, the first time I see a little kid, a white kid, dressed up as Black Panther, I’m taking a picture,” he said in 2018. “You better believe I’m taking a picture, because that’s the crossover.”
To put it simply, there is no reason why T’Challa should not live on in the MCU. T’Challa still has much of his story left to tell. There are many comic book stories that still contain significant material. It is a role that should be continued in the universe. Although a new actor might be incapable of capturing the spirit that Boseman gave to his character, that does not make it impossible that an actor can continue to leave a legacy for King Wakanda. If there are obvious new ways to preserve the character, it would be shameful to end his story.
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