Chadwick Boseman wasn’t just King T’Challa. He is King T’Challa. He is as synonymous with that role as Robert Downey Jr. is with Tony Stark and Gal Gadot is with Wonder Woman. There will never be another King T’Challa on the silver screen.
Ever.
But the story of the Black Panther doesn’t have to end with Boseman’s tragic and heartbreaking death last August. Black Panther isn’t merely a super hero; it’s a transformative cultural touchstone that has touched the lives of tens of millions of people across the globe during a tumultuous time. And Boseman was the key to that importance. He can never be replaced and it would be stupid to try.
Boseman’s death has left both the Black Panther franchise and the entire MCU reeling (the Panther was destined be a very important character in the MCU moving forward-a virtual pillar of the cinematic shared universe). Simply put, the MCU is facing its greatest narrative test with Black Panther 2. The sequel to 2018’s blockbuster was originally slated for May of 2022, but is now in limbo as MCU maestro Kevin Feige and director Ryan Coogler are forced to try and fill the massive hole Boseman left behind.
If they’re smart they won’t even try.
Marvel can never replace King T’Challa (trying to recast the role would be an insult to both Boseman’s memory and to the millions of fans who fell in love with the character), but the Black Panther is a mantle immune to both the passage of time and the death of Wakanda’s monarchs. And while it is often Wakanda’s ruling King or crown prince that wields the power of the Panther, Wakanda’s ancient protector isn’t always someone who wears the crown.
The saga of the Black Panther doesn’t end with Boseman. Nor should it.
The most obvious choice to don the Black Panther’s mantle is T’Challa’s impetuous yet brilliant younger sister Shuri. This is a popular option that as been suggested by plenty of others and it has precedence. Not only was Shuri a popular character from Black Panther’s solo movie as well as Avengers: Infinity War, but as many have pointed out she has taken over the role of Black Panther several times in the comics. She even had her own series in 2019.
And actress Letitia Wright made Shuri nearly as popular as T’Challa with her energetic and fearless portrayal. The fact that Shuri played an important role in Avengers: Infinity War and turned up in Endgame as well speaks to how popular she was with both fans and MCU brass.
This passing of the torch wouldn’t be new in the MCU. We’ve seen Steve Rogers pass Captain America’s shield to a new champion (the entire Falcon and the Winter Soldier DisneyPlus show will be based on this transition). And we could see new versions of both Thor and Iron Man in the very near future. Even over at DC, Bruce Wayne has taken a break from Batman from time to time in the comics, allowing others to don the cape and cowl while he recovers from some catastrophic crisis.
A Black Panther sequel should concentrate on telling Shuri’s story; how she deals with the loss of her brother (while explaining T’Challa’s death will pose a significant challenge for film makers, they should spare neither expense nor time making sure he is given a hero’s end) and how she reinvents/resurrects the ancient mystical herb that grants the Black Panther the powers of its namesake.
It should also tell the tale of how she becomes Wakanda’s new Queen, possibly against the tide of tradition and vast political opposition. And along the way it should introduce a capable new character, a brave warrior more devoted to Wakanda and its people than the royal bloodline that rules both. More on him a little later.
That’s a lot of story to tell in a super hero movie sequel, especially one denied it’s star. It would likely mean a reimagining of the plan to use Black Panther 2 to introduce Namour (the Sub-Mariner) and Marvel’s version of Atlantis. But the sequel could definitely lay important storytelling seeds for that introduction while Marvel could use other avenues to that end. Namely DisneyPlus.
And while Shuri would have to adopt the mantle of the Black Panther to seize the throne following her brother’s death (quite likely saving Wakanda from nefarious forces along the way-forces possibly backed by a mysterious benefactor like Victor Von Doom?), it should also reveal that she can’t balance the demands of being Queen while Wakanda ( No longer a secret, rather a global superpower in a world that now finds itself a piece on a galactic chess board) with the responsibilities of being the Black Panther, a super hero devoted to protecting both Wakanda and the world as a member of the Avengers.
Enter the aforementioned brave and headstrong warrior whose loyalty belongs to Wakanda and its people. The heroics and loyalty he demonstrated in Black Panther 2 should earn him the right and responsibility to become the Black Panther for future films. And he should be played by John David Washington.
By now everyone has heard the story of how Denzel Washington (John David’s father) paid Chadwick Boseman’s tuition to Oxford University, so having Washington’s son become the Black Panther would be a poetic way to close the circle. And it would serve everyone’s best interests.
Washington is no slouch. He earned rave reviews for his work in Black KKKlansman and is demonstrating serious acting chops and impressive physicality in Tenet (arguably 2020’s biggest box office casualty). He would both honour Boseman’s memory and do justice to the role. But this could also allow him to break free of his father’s imposing and formidable shadow. This would also allow the Black Panther films to be more than just a trilogy, permitting Disney to make as many as five or six solo flicks while many of the MCU’s other heroes have wrapped their stories up at three.
And remember, Washington would play the Panther in future Avengers films as well. He would get to show off his stuff on one of Hollywood’s biggest stages in arguably it’s greatest franchise.
Nor should Shuri be relegated to a supporting character after relinquishing the Panther’s mantle. As Queen of Earth’s most technologically advanced civilization, she would be a major power player in the world’s new reality (a reality that will soon see mutants, Atlantis, the planet devouring Galactus and the Fantastic Four join shape shifting aliens, gods and genocidal warlords). She should pop up in just about every MCU movie and Marvel DisneyPlus show.
This is an admittedly imperfect solution. But it may be the best way forward following Boseman’s death. One that allows Marvel to introduce other characters, expand on existing ones and also pay tribute to Boseman and the fantastic things he did for both the character and the MCU at large. The simple truth is there likely isn’t anything that will fit the enormous void he leaves behind. There is no way to replace him. It would be stupid to even try.
But the story doesn’t end there. And it shouldn’t.
The King is dead. Long live The Panther.
Image via Marvel Studios
