Black Panther was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. While there were a new minor complaints (the expected CG-heavy final battle, for example), the movie itself respected and celebrated African culture and inspired countless people worldwide.
T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 following a hard-fought battle with cancer. The actor’s passing sent shockwaves through Hollywood, forcing Marvel Studios to go back to the drawing board with its planned Black Panther sequel.
The idea had been for it to deal with the fallout from Avengers: Endgame, with T’Challa returning from the “Blip” to learn his son had been born while he was among the dead. From there, we’d have followed the hero getting to know his child while likely battling Namor the Submariner.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever instead dealt with the fallout from the hero’s demise in-universe and followed Shuri as she inherited the Black Panther mantle. The closing moments of the sequel introduced Toussaint, a.k.a. T’Challa II, the fallen King’s young son.
Letitia Wright returns as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday, though leaked concept art and various rumours have led us to believe we’ll meet the new T’Challa in either that or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Regardless of whether it’s an adult Toussaint or a Multiversal Variant, the idea from there would be for that character to take centre stage in the next Black Panther movie, widely believed to be on track for a February 2028 release.
According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, “While they are introducing more Black Panthers, [Wright] will remain the main one for years to come.”
It’s a relatively vague update, albeit one that can give us a better idea of the future if we unpack it for a moment. For starters, “years to come” would potentially cover the next Avengers movies, as Secret Wars isn’t set to be released until the end of 2027.
However, in the comics, there’s a precedent for T’Challa and Shuri both being Black Panther at the same time. While the latter served as Wakanda’s monarch, T’Challa was made King of the Dead by Bast and took on more of a “warrior” role on behalf of his nation.
“It’s just an ensemble of greatness, so I was just really excited to just be a part of it,” Wright said of Avengers: Doomsday in June. “I’ve been a part of it before, but in a smaller way. Now, I have a little bit more.”
F1: The Movie star Damson Idris was recently asked about reports he’ll play the next T’Challa and, smile on his face, replied, “No, no. I don’t know anything about it [Laughs].”
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.
