Reports are coming in thick and fast regarding the fate of T’Challa and the future of the Black Panther mantle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Studios officially wrapped up Phase Four with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), a film that carried an emotional weight unlike any other in the franchise. More than just a blockbuster, it was a poignant tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Boseman’s untimely passing in 2020 sent shockwaves through Hollywood and the Marvel fandom.
The decision to retire T’Challa divided fans. While some believed it was a respectful tribute to Boseman’s legacy, others saw it as a mistake. A vocal group even called it “the biggest attack in Marvel history” and threatened to boycott the sequel.
Wakanda Forever managed to pull in $859 million globally—falling short of its predecessor’s $1.346 billion but still delivering a solid financial performance to close out Phase Four.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently confirmed that Black Panther 3is in development. Producer Nate Moore, who is set to leave Marvel after Captain America: Brave New World(2025), will return to oversee the project.
According to reports, Marvel is considering recasting T’Challa via a Multiversal twist, which would allow a new actor to take on the role of the legendary Wakandan king during the upcoming conclusion to The Multiverse Saga. That finale will seemingly be with the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), which releases a year after Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
The latter will see the official return of Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom, although rumors suggest the Hollywood star will make his MCU comeback in the mid or post-credits scene of July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The highly anticipated movie starring Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) just got its first official teaser trailer.
Other reports suggest that instead of recasting Boseman’s T’Challa directly, Marvel may focus on an older version of his son, Toussaint—introduced in Wakanda Foreveras the child of T’Challa and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o). Several actors have been linked to the potential “New T’Challa,” including John David Washington, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Aaron Pierre.
A new name emerged after these reports: Black Adam(2022) star Aldis Hodge. The actor, who played Hawkman in DC’s ill-fated Black Adam, is reportedly being eyed by Marvel Studios for the role. Hodge joins a growing list of names connected to the role, but as mentioned earlier, this might not be a variant of Boseman’s T’Challa. Instead, it could be Earth-616’s Toussaint, stepping up to claim his birthright.
Now, Marvel Studios has officially spoken out about the potential recasting of T’Challa in the MCU. Nate Moore, the executive set to leave the studio soon and the person who enraged crowds in 2022 for referring to T’Challa/Black Panther as a mantle, discussed the recent rumors.
“The truth is, there’s no truth to those rumors. Never say never to anything, we haven’t really had a lot of creative conversations with Ryan Coogler yet, because he’s finishing his film Sinners, which comes out this year,” Moore told ComicBook. “We’ll get into it later this year, but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started [working on it].”
It’s clear Marvel hasn’t ruled anything out so there could be a chance that the future holds a new T’Challa–whether that’s a Multiversal version of Boseman’s character or his grown-up son.
Despite the Russo Brothers being locked and loaded for their return with Doomsday and Secret Wars, reports from actors like Chris Evans and Benedict Cumberbatch are creating a confusing situation about just what direction the MCU will take in the next few years.
As Marvel begins to shape the next chapter of Black Panther, another report from scooper My Time To Shine Hello shared a controversial report. According to the insider, Marvel has only met with “light-skinned” actors for the T’Challa role so far. This claim has drawn criticism, but it should be noted that neither Marvel Studios nor The Walt Disney Company has confirmed this report.
Judging by Nate Moore’s clarification that they are yet to commence work on the project, it seems this scooper’s report has been debunked.
How do you think Marvel should handle T’Challa’s future in the MCU? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!
