Not only has the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman robbed the movie industry of one of its fastest-rising stars, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost one of its most important and influential figures, one that was poised to play a prominent part in leading the franchise into a future that’s widely expected to feature a much larger focus on diversity and representation than ever before.
As the title hero in the highest-grossing installment in the MCU’s history that wasn’t an Avengers epic, the first comic book movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and a blockbuster that launched a cultural movement and inspired a generation, Boseman was set to be at the forefront of the next generation of stories as both the star of a major franchise and a key member of the shared universe’s roster.
Black Panther II will look to pick up from where the actor left off and continue to honor his legacy and create an enduring monument that reflects how important T’Challa was to millions of people around the world, and the entirety of Phase Four will no doubt be full of tributes to the King of Wakanda.
Of course, fans will get to see Boseman reprise the role one final time when T’Challa becomes the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord in an episode of upcoming Disney Plus animated series Marvel’s What If…?, but the 43 year-old was also reportedly set to feature in multiple MCU projects aside from just his standalone sequel, which is locked in to arrive in May 2022.
It's being reported that @MarvelStudios was planning for #ChadwickBoseman's T'Challa / #BlackPanther to appear in multiple upcoming interconnected movies in the #MCU prior to Boseman's passing: https://t.co/fsqZYU5NkA pic.twitter.com/mKw2eEhA8G
— MCU – The Direct (@MCU_Direct) September 2, 2020
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man 3, Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are all scheduled to arrive in the interim, and while there were no concrete plans officially in place, with Boseman set to start training for his return as Black Panther this month to get back in front of cameras in March, he might have already had a cameo lined up in one of those films before he succumbed to the disease that he was confident he would overcome.
