When it comes to Marvel, the studio has a pretty good track record of remaining loyal to the actors it signs to help bring to life Marvel Comics’ most iconic characters. Traditionally, when an actor has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they stick around for the long haul and get the chance to leave their mark via their character.
That’s not to say that Marvel hasn’t at times chosen to recast a major character as there have indeed been instances of this. The best example is without a doubt James Rhodes, a character first played by Terrence Howard in Iron Man before the role was recast in Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle taking over the role and going on to make his mark within the MCU as Iron Man’s righthand man.
For the most part, though, Marvel hasn’t tended to recast most of its major roles which is why it’s perhaps so shocking to learn that the studio has apparently begun having conversations about recasting the role of Black Panther.
The role of Black Panther was originated by Chadwick Boseman in Captain American: Civil War ahead of the character’s first solo feature which went on to break records and landed Marvel several Oscar nominations. Boseman would go on to play the character again in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and he was set to reprise the character in the highly anticipated sequel to Black Panther.
Sadly, Boseman passed away at the age of 43 following a private battle with cancer before filming began on the sequel which put Marvel in an unprecedented situation. While there were rumors and speculations about whether the role would be recast, Marvel ultimately decided to honor Boseman’s legacy by not recasting the role of T’Challa and instead having the character pass away off-screen. This led to a truly beautiful tribute to the late Boseman and the mantle of Black Panther ultimately ended up being passed on to his sister, Shuri, rather than the role being recast.
Marvel wants to recast Black Panther
Fast forward to 2025, and it seems Marvel is looking to bring T’Challa back into the fold and in doing so are having conversations to recast the role made famous by Chadwick Boseman.
According to insider Jeff Sneider, nearly five years after Boseman’s death, Marvel is looking to recast the role of T’Challa within the MCU – and not just as a variant making a one-off appearance. As the report alleges, Marvel is rumored to be looking to recast the role of T’Challa and have the character take on a major role within the MCU in several high-profile upcoming Marvel movies.
Per the rumor, Marvel is looking to recast the role with the character set to play a role in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as well as Ryan Coogler’s third Black Panther movie. Interestingly, Marvel is not only considering recasting the role but has been actively taking strides to bring in a new actor to assume the role.
Snider reports that the role of T’Challa was offered to an undisclosed actor last fall shortly after Marvel inked a deal for Robert Downey Jr. to return to the MCU in the role of Doctor Doom. While an offer was extended, the actor Marvel reached out to apparently turned down the role with some suggesting it was a scheduling conflict to blame.
Interestingly, there have been rumors Boesman’s Black Panther costar Michael B. Jordan could be returning to the MCU and one has to wonder if there have been discussions about Jordan playing a T’Challa variant from another universe. This would perhaps make more sense than a new actor being brought in to take over the role as Jordan has a history with the franchise and has already played a variant within MCU via What If…?.
However, it’s just as likely that Marvel could be looking for a new actor to enter the mix entirely, but we have to admit any actor who steps into the role will have big footsteps to fill. Boseman’s T’Challa was universally loved and many praised Marvel for its decision not to recast the role in the immediate wake of his death.
Still, we can’t say we aren’t surprised Marvel would look to bring the character back into the mix as it prepares for its multiversal saga as he’s a character that means so much to audiences and comic readers.