After the tragic passing of star Chadwick Boseman, Marvel Studios would be well within their rights to draw a line under the Black Panther franchise completely, and allow T’Challa’s first standalone outing to live on as a permanent monument to the legacy of the man under the mask. With over $1.3 billion at the box office, an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and a reputation as a landmark of both popular culture and representation in blockbuster cinema, it would certainly be a fitting tribute.
However, the next few months will see many conversations going on behind the scenes between Kevin Feige, director Ryan Coogler and the returning cast and crew, with the sequel originally scheduled to start shooting next March in order to meet the May 2022 release date. In fact, Boseman was so determined to defeat the illness that took his life that he was set to begin training for his return in a matter of weeks.
Of course, a delay of some kind seems inevitable at this point, but we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones that told us a She-Hulk show is coming to D+, Taskmaster would be the main villain in Black Widow and Ben Affleck is returning for The Flash, all of which were correct – that Disney and Marvel have decided on how to move forward with what was already one of the most hotly-anticipated comic book movies on the horizon, and will now be one of the most emotionally powerful and bittersweet.
According to our intel, the plan at the moment is for T’Challa to be written out of Black Panther 2 before the story starts as he’ll apparently die off-screen. Shuri will then assume the mantle and become Wakanda’s new protector on a permanent basis. Details beyond that remain unclear, but the film itself will no doubt look to pay respect to an actor that inspired a generation and convinced them that they could be heroes, and it would seem that the studio feels that making a movie capable of honoring the legacy of what Chadwick Boseman brought to the role is the most poignant tribute that they can give him.
