Time really flies sometimes. For example, it’s been six whole years since Chadwick Boseman was introduced as Black Panther at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
The actor made his debut in the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, and Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. brought him on stage to rapturous applause. With the conflict of Civil War looming, Downey Jr. asked him if he was “drifting one way or the other” between him and Evans, and he replied:
“As much as I respect you both. Black Panther is kind of his own guy. In all seriousness, I’m blessed to be a part of this Marvel universe and to work with you both, and I look forward to making magic together.”
It’s safe to say he succeeded. After impressing in Civil War, the actor went on to blow everyone away in the billion-dollar grossing smash hit Black Panther, the most beloved and culturally significant film that Marvel Studios have released to date. Chris Evans commented on this anniversary in a classy yet touching way this week, responding with a blue heart and a crown emoji, signifying that Boseman was the King of the MCU.
https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1321497478559109132?s=20
But there could still be one more performance by the actor as T’Challa in the can. Word has it that he completed his voice work for Disney+ show What If…?, which will feature an alternative universe in which T’Challa ends up becoming Star-Lord. There’s also talk of an episode featuring Killmonger in which he might appear.
Beyond that, there’s 2022’s Black Panther 2. Director Ryan Coogler hasn’t revealed how he’ll deal with Boseman’s death, though the going theory is that the mantle will pass to Shuri. We may get some kind of posthumous appearance, too, possibly with T’Challa appearing in the Ancestral Plane to offer some advice to his little sister. Let’s just hope they do a better job than they managed with Carrie Fisher in The Rise of Skywalker.
In non-Marvel news, Chadwick Boseman‘s final live-action role will be in Netflix Original Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which will hit the platform on December 18th, 2020.
