Before the production of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” began, the world, unfortunately, lost its main character, Chadwick Bozeman. After Bozeman’s death, Marvel decided not to remake T’Challa. Even before the premiere of the teaser trailer for “Wakanda Forever”, fans expressed a lot of opinions online about whether the main role should be remade. The debate led to the creation of an online petition for another actor to play the King of Wakandia. It’s still raging as the sequel’s release date approaches, and along with Marvel giving its opinion on the matter, one of the actors has spoken out about it. “Black Panther” star Winston Duke has explained why he’s glad that Bozeman’s T’Challa hasn’t been remade.
Of course, fans weren’t the only ones mourning the death of Chadwick Bozeman, as the cast and crew lost not only a co-star in the film, but also a family member. Director Ryan Coogler said that he almost quit filmmaking after the death of the Oscar nominee. Two years after Bozeman’s death, the online buzz about T’Challa’s remaking reached a climax. While the cast, for the most part, ignored this, Duke faced opposition during his interview for the podcast Jemele Hill is Unbothered. The “Black Panther 2” star was outspoken when he explained why refusing to remake T’Challa Bozeman was the right thing to do.
The personal connection between the late Bozeman and the King of Wakandia was inevitable from the first moment of his appearance in Captain America: Civil War. As Duke noted, the late actor’s choice for the role of a Marvel hero included every side of his leading star. Despite the desire to remake, the character, unfortunately, was defined by the image of Bozeman. If Marvel had listened to the fans and chosen another actor, that person and the studio might have received some negative reaction from the same fans. This could spoil the reception of the new film.
Winston Duke supported Marvel’s delicate decision. He knew that the decision had more to do with paying homage to T’Challa Bozeman, especially since the sequel tells about the real death of the late star. Actor M’baka also may have hinted at more than one Black Panther as he brought up the MCU multiverse.
Since Wakanda Forever serves as the finale of the 4th phase, a new Black Panther may appear at some point in the 5th or 6th phases. put on some big multiverse cameos. So it may be possible in the future.
“So, I feel that, as it is, and the decision that was made to leave T’Challa T’Challa Chadwick Bozeman has a lot of nobility in it. But there is a level of trust that we all need to have for the comic book world, which has many dimensions and parallel dimensions, and many stories, and a possible future, and possible reinterpretations of the past, and just a lot of universes that they are actually experimenting with. a variety of interpretations that can really make us all happy.”
The remake debate goes beyond Chadwick Bozeman, as the “Black Panther 2” trailer has led to yet another controversy about a woman taking on the mantle. Despite the fact that Marvel is keeping T’Challa’s successor a secret, most fans have guessed that the technically savvy sister of the fallen King of Wakandia, Shuri, is in the suit. Others chose Ironheart’s Riri Williams and the Avenger’s love interest Nakia as possible options.
Fans will have to wait until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is released on November 11 to find out who the new Black Panther is. While the sequel marks the end of Phase 4, there are upcoming Marvel movies to look forward to over the next year or so.