A NEW BLACK PANTHER WILL RISE IN BLACK PANTHER II
Speculation on who will carry the mantle as Black Panther has run rampant since the unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman late last year. While characters M’Baku played by Winston Duke and Shuri played by Letitia Wright have both been the fan favorites. It seems Marvel Studios and Director Ryan Coogler may have a different idea on how the story will move forward.
Rumorverse
Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler and the rest of the Marvel Studios team have had a difficult task in figuring out the best way to move forward. Recasting T’Challa, which was discussed early on, is a risky move and one that some believe would dishonor what Chadwick brought to the character during his tenure. Another option, and one that many speculated would happen, would be to pass the mantle onto another established character like M’Baku or Shuri. However, for better or worse Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige have agreed on something a bit unexpected.
It appears that Ryan Coogler is running with the creation of a brand new character who will not only replace T’Challa as Black Panther but also become the new King of Wakanda as well. With that, T’Challa will not be killed off but rather written out of the story in a way that will be fitting and honorable to the character and Chadwick Boseman.
While this may sound a bit shocking, we have to remember that Marvel is currently in the midst of trying to shift perception of their cookie cutter/expected way of storytelling to a more unpredictable slate (See WandaVision).This is without a doubt a bold move and one that could potentially break this particular franchise in the MCU but also have an everlasting impact if executed properly.
Wiping the slate clean and essentially starting anew is an interesting move. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
As always remember that everything within the Rumorverse is just that, RUMOR, until it is officially announced.
What do you think, is this the way to go for the upcoming Black Panther sequel? Let us know in the comments below