Earlier this year we said goodbye to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from this world far too soon. Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, at the much too young age of 43 after a four year battle with colon cancer. Boseman’s career had just reached new heights when he passed, having become an immediate household name in the last few years following his turn as T’Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of films.
While Chadwick Boseman is no longer with us, he still has one more performance as T’Challa for his fans to look forward to in the not too distant future with Marvel’s new What If…? animated series.
The new animated series What If…? was formally announced several weeks ago by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at the Disney Investor Day presentation. The show, which will be exclusive to the Disney+ streaming service, is set to be an animated anthology series that will explore a number of fun alternative takes on our favorite classic Marvel characters and stories, begging the titular question, “what if…?”.
Feige recently confirmed in an interview with Emmy Magazine that Chadwick Boseman’s final performance as T’Challa/Black Panther will be in this new animated series, which he recorded voicework for. The actor “came in about four times and recorded numerous episodes” said Feige. “In hindsight, it’s very moving“. Boseman’s final live-action performance as T’Challa was in 2019’s blockbuster Avengers: Endgame and his final film performance can be seen in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (now streaming on Netflix).
While it is bittersweet to know we have at least one more amazing Chadwick Boseman performance heading our way in What If…?, it is also nice to know he won’t be alone as a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe alumni are set to make a return to voice their characters for the series including Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. And this is just who we know is showing up so far! Marvel’s What If…? is set to premiere in Summer 2021. Check out a teaser trailer below!
In the larger MCU, it is still unclear how Marvel Studios is going to deal with the passing of this Hollywood icon. How does Marvel honor the legacy of this man who did so much in such a short time, defining the Black Panther character for generations? Should they leave the Black Panther brand alone at the height of its popularity? Should they recast? If so, then who? And if not, then how does the Black Panther story move forward without T’Challa, the King of Wakanda?
During Disney’s Investor Day presentation, Kevin Feige also took some time to touch on the future plans for the Black Panther franchise in the wake of the sudden and unexpected loss of Chadwick Boseman. Feige confirmed that Black Panther 2 is still happening and that it will “honor the legacy” of Boseman. While the MCU has recast several actors in the past, those were usually due to contractual disputes rather than an actor’s sudden passing. Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel Studios do not plan on recasting the T’Challa character; at least not at this time.
This new Black Panther film will instead focus on the fictional nation of Wakanda and the large cast of supporting characters we have already been introduced to in previous entries in the MCU. The currently untitled Black Panther sequel has been in development since shortly after the first film released in 2018 and broke box-office records. Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote and directed the first Black Panther film, is signed on for this sequel, which is expected to begin filming in summer 2021 with a planned release date of July 8, 2022.
While no cast members have been announced or formally confirmed, it is expected that we will see Letitia Wright, Danai Guirira, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, and Angela Bassett returning for this sequel. Other actors from the first film like Daniel Kaluuya and Martin Freeman are also potentially returning, but their appearances are a bit more up in the air following the events of the first film.
In the original Marvel Comics stories, T’Challa’s sister Shuri does eventually take up the mantle of the Black Panther in T’Challa’s absence. Could we see Latitia Wright sharpening her claws in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Only time will tell.
Are you excited to have one final Chadwick Boseman performance as T’Challa to look forward to? What are your thoughts about T’Challa not appearing in the Black Panther sequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for all the latest Marvel news!
