SOURCE: fandomwire.com 

One of the cruelest and heartbreaking moments of Hollywood was when Chadwick Boseman passed away due to colon cancer in 2020. A prolific actor and an even greater human being, his loss was deeply felt by the fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having portrayed Black Panther in the franchise, he was slated to appear in the sequel to his Oscar-winning film, 2018’s Black Panther. 

But having lost his life midway through the production of the sequel, the story inevitably had to be altered, forcing the filmmakers to take an entirely different path. 

A still from Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) | Credit: Marvel Studios 

The sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 forever left an undeniable void in both Hollywood and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having portrayed T’Challa aka the Black Panther, he gracefully brought strength and dignity to a comic book character by propelling him as a symbol of hope for millions around the world. 

So when he suddenly passed away in 2020, his next film, Black Panther 2, had to undergo major changes and rewrites. In an interview with Inverse, director Ryan Coogler revealed how the film would have been if Boseman was still alive. 

The tone was going to be similar. The character was going to be grieving the loss of time, you know, coming back after being gone for five years. As a man with so much responsibility to so many, coming back after a forced five-year absence, that’s what the film was tackling. He was grieving time he couldn’t get back. Grief was a big part of it. 

While grief did turn out to be a huge part of its Oscar-winning sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the plot and protagonist had to be changed. Although Namor was always supposed to be the antagonist, one can’t help but wonder how great of a film it would have been if Boseman had lived to make it. 

Marvel Fans Continue to Believe Chadwick Boseman Should Have Been Recast as Black Panther 

The late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther | Credit: Marvel Studios 

As Marvel continues to move forward with its many storylines and plots, fans continue to miss Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther. Yet there are those who believe it would have been way better to recast the actor, instead of killing him off in the MCU. 

While the idea of replacing such an impactful actor is a tremendous challenge, especially given the untimely and tragic death of Boseman, many continue to think that keeping T’Challa alive would have been heaps better. Recently, when Ryan Coogler’s interview with Inverse resurfaced, this is what some Marvelholics had to say: 

While there is no denying that Chadwick Boseman absolutely embodied the character of Black Panther, recasting wouldn’t necessarily have turned out to be a bad decision. The legacy of what he ‘created’ would have live on if Marvel wasn’t so afraid of replacing him with a new actor. 

Since there is still time, Marvel can recast Black Panther or bring some other version of him. But Marvel’s decision not to recast him initially speaks to the lasting impact Boseman had. And fans continue to debate whether or not T’Challa’s story should have moved forward in a different way.

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