Following the death of Boseman in 2020, Marvel made the decision not to recast T’Challa, a move that was solidified in the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which opens with the funeral of the beloved character. The film passed the mantle of the Black Panther to Shuri, played by Letitia Wright. This move seemed to indicate that the character’s story had reached its natural conclusion within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Moore explained that while Black Panther 3 is on the horizon, there are no plans to replace T’Challa. “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 said. “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].”
Boseman’s untimely death in 2020 left a deep emotional impact on the MCU, his colleagues, and fans worldwide. T’Challa, one of the most popular and impactful characters of the last decade, was integral to Marvel’s success. Director Ryan Coogler’s decision to open Wakanda Forever with T’Challa’s funeral served as a poignant tribute to both the character and the late actor. This choice also signaled the end of T’Challa’s story within the MCU, leaving the future of the character uncertain.
Though the MCU has previously recast roles—such as Don Cheadle taking over for Terrence Howard as James Rhodes and Mark Ruffalo replacing Ed Norton as Bruce Banner—replacing T’Challa would be a much more challenging proposition for audiences. In the world of Marvel Comics, characters often return from the dead, and alternate versions of characters are explored through the Multiverse. While this opens the possibility of a different T’Challa appearing in future films, Moore emphasized that such a decision has not been made.
Coogler has been outspoken about the difficulties of replacing Boseman in the role. “For somebody else to be him, for us in the world that we created, we wouldn’t have believed it. No matter how good the actor was, it would’ve been lacking the necessary truth for us to do a good job,” Coogler explained in a past interview. “Our truth was lost, which is a fact of life. It’s the gift and the curse of life. Heroes, great men, die.”
As the MCU moves forward, fans will have to wait and see how T’Challa’s legacy continues to shape the storylines and characters within the universe. For now, Marvel’s commitment to honoring Boseman’s portrayal of the character remains unwavering.