Avengers: Secret Wars promises to feature a massive collection of Marvel characters, but one iconic hero from the Marvel Cinematic Universe may return with a new actor in the role. While much of the attention has been on Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars will not be far behind, releasing one year after Avengers: Doomsday arrives. The movie is living up to its title with an intense level of secrecy, but one unexpected character may be involved.
According to well-renowned industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios will reportedly introduce a new Black Panther into the MCU in Avengers: Secret Wars. The report also claims that the studio has already been meeting with actors about the role. Of course, Chadwick Boseman introduced Black Panther, a.k.a. T'Challa, in Captain America: Civil War before going on to lead the critically-acclaimed Black Panther in 2018. Following Boseman's tragic death in 2020, Marvel chose to have T'Challa also pass away in the movies, evolving 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever into a tribute to him.
Director Ryan Coogler had previously stated that Marvel Studios would not recast the role of T'Challa, and, as a result, his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) took up the mantle in the sequel. However, more recently, actors like Damson Idris and Aaron Pierre have been rumored to be attached as a new Black Panther. In fact, a new report from Richtman also suggests that Idris has met with the studio about playing the role.
While the fancasting of Damson Idris and Aaron Pierre as Black Panther has been popular, the fandom is still split on the right way to move forward with the character. Obviously, the plan was always to have Chadwick Boseman continue on the role for many years to come, and Shuri's taking over of the mantle was a heartfelt tribute to his legacy.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever proved that Shuri could take up this pivotal Marvel role, while still carrying the memory of T'Challa through the franchise. Some feel that bringing in a new Black Panther would feel like it was a disservice to her character, especially with the new Black Panther being a male character. It is also possible this could also sit wrong with Ryan Coogler as he preps for Black Panther 3 - which is expected to be one of the first movies of the MCU's next saga (after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga).
There is one rumor that fans are more receptive to, and it's the possibility that T'Challa's son, Toussaint - a.k.a. Prince T'Challa - who we met at the end of Wakanda Forever, would be this new Black Panther. Perhaps that's the story of the Black Panther trilogy, and Shuri is doing her brother's legacy justice until his son eventually takes over.
However, with the multiverse angle, it is entirely possible that this new rumored Black Panther could appear in the MCU only for Avengers: Secret Wars and then be done. We'll have to wait and see, but it goes without saying that the route of reintroducing an aged-up version of T'Challa's son would be the one that fans would respond best to.