Chadwick Boseman scored much acclaim for his leading role as King T’Challa in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” – helping turn the film into a critical and commercial hit.
In the wake of his sudden death in August 2020 due to colon cancer, those involved in the already in development sequel had to make a choice – do they abandon the film, do they recast his character, or do they continue the story in a way that acknowledges his absence?
Marvel opted the latter, opting not to recast and delivering a story exploring the impact on Wakanda had T’Challa died off screen between the films. In a new interview with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained the decision to not recast:
“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And [director] Ryan [Coogler] poured that into the story.
The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’ And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.”
This allows for a deeper exploration of the technologically-advanced African nation whilst also introducing Namor the Sub-Mariner (played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta), the famed Marvel character who leads an advanced civilisation.
In this version, he’s not the ruler of Atlantis but rather the Talocan, and the new film is heavily driven by T’Challa’s decision at the end of “Black Panther” to reveal the truth of Wakanda to the world. That decision puts the Talocan in jeopardy and leads them to take action to protect themselves, according to Huerta. The actor also confirms his character is a mutant like in the comics.
Feige also teased that director Ryan Coogler came up with a credits tag for the original “Black Panther” that didn’t end up being made and would’ve teased Namor: “Ryan had a pitch for a tag at the end of Black Panther. The camera would push through the palace in Wakanda, and then we’d see wet footprints leading up to the throne.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in theaters on November 11th.
