Marvel Fans Are Asking The Studio To Not Recast Black Panther In Honor Of Chadwick Boseman
The death of Marvel's Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman on Friday, Aug. 28 surprised all of his fans. In light of Boseman's strong and inspiring portrayal of T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans are speaking out in hopes Marvel will not recast the lead role in the already greenlit sequel. The Twitterverse is in agreement that nobody but Boseman should play the part, and these tweets about Marvel not recasting Black Panther make some convincing arguments.
The 43-year-old actor passed away from colon cancer, which he was battling privately since 2016. The confirmation of his death was announced on his social media pages on Aug. 28, with a reflective statement that admired his contributions to the film industry. "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” said the statement. "Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage IV. A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much." The statement continued, “It was the honor of his life to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther."
Boseman's death had fans and celebrities paying respects to the actor's life and work, but some also began to worry Marvel could make a move to recast another actor as King T'Challa.
Marvel fans are arguing that casting a new actor would be in poor taste, and are asking the studio to let Boseman remain the sole embodiment of T'Challa:
Some tweets ask for the franchise to avoid recasting in honor of Boseman's memory:
Some are saying how well Boseman portrayed the character, and that no one else could be Black Panther like he could:
One fan is comparing the situation to the passing of Heath Ledger and his Joker portrayal:
Some fans are also pointing out that Marvel should instead pass the Black Panther torch to Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister, who is played by Letitia Wright. It's a move that makes a lot of sense, considering Shuri actually does become Black Panther in the Marvel comics.
Black Panther was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 2019 including Best Picture and won three, along with nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, and two wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It was also the first superhero film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. A sequel to the movie was announced a few months after its release, and Marvel currently has Black Panther 2 slated to premiere on May 6, 2022.
