Marvel caught a lot of people’s attention and kicked up a lot of discussion with the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer reveal yesterday. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, and for a while there it looked like things might go south. Now fans are upset about two potential Black Panthers in one movie.
The trailer all but revealed that Letitia Wright was going to take on the mantle of the Black Panther and move the character away from Boseman. However, the trailer also kind of insinuated that there was going to be two separate Black Panthers.
One of them shared the same face markings as Wright’s character, and another did not. Was this just a timing issue? No one really knows, but the idea of two Black panthers doesn’t really seem to sit well with fans.
A simple search of the hashtag “RecastTChalla” on Twitter instantly reveals how people feel about this. User Oberonxxx pushed back against the argument that the main character of the movie is the Black Panther and not T’Challa.
Their argument is that the character has been Black Panther for almost six decades (although Shuri does take the mantle for a bit in the comics).
“T’challa is not the main character, black panther is” Oh Yeah, T’challa has being the BP for 56 years, since 1966, but no, he is not the main character. SHUT THE F**K UP.”
User Eno Har made a reference to another franchise that lost a beloved character.
“I understand why Disney did not #RecastTchalla for #BlackPantherWakandaForever. However I DON’T understand why they feel T’challa should be killed off Paul Walker meant so much to the cast of Fast & Furious, they kept his character alive. Why not the same with T’challa?”
User Twin_Deion said that fans aren’t even asking for “an immediate recast” they just want “the portrayal of T’Challa to continue.”
Someone else said that just because they’re asking for more T’Challa doesn’t mean they’re against a Black woman being the character.
“Us: Please eventually #RecastTChalla to have the character’s portrayal continue. We’re not against anyone else taking up the mantle of Black Panther. Them: Why do you hate Black women so much & why can’t she be Black Panther?”
Others say the movie won’t be the same without the character but still hold at hope that they don’t have the story.
“#BlackPantherWakandaForever feels so empty to me. A blockbuster Black Panther sequel without its titular character T’Challa. I will support this movie but I hold out hope that T’Challa returns in the post credit scene or in Secret Wars. T’Challa is an icon #RecastTChalla,” said Twin_Deion in a separate post.
The main argument is that Marvel should honor the character and respect fans enough to let him continue.
“I actually agree with the vast majority in wanting to #RecastTChalla for Black Panther. Yes, I miss Chadwick like everyone else on the planet but that doesn’t mean his legacy should not be continued in the story. T’Challa means a lot to people and I think we should honour it,” said Vago Mundo.
Others had some suggestions for who should take over. Twitter handle Fandom Culture mocked up an image with a Star Wars character.
“Here’s a concept of John Boyega as T’Challa. If I could wish for anything, I’d wish for a new T’Challa from another universe to through a portal in #SecretWars.”
Someone else recommended Y’lan Noel (Insecure). “There’s literally a checkmate on every point in advantage of #RecastTChalla. “No actor would step in the role because…”. Enter Y’lan Noel,” said SqorGeek.
Actor Maurice Kirya said he would be happy to step into the role. User Buckmeister applauded the moxie.
Others think it’s an opportunity to bring T’Challa back at a later time, like user Andrew Beam.
“I think we should #RecastTChalla because there are so many more things for the character to do in the MCU. Recasting T’Challa is a way to ensure that Chadwick’s legacy lives on in the character. Imagine if this is how he returns in Secret Wars, the movie will break a trillion.”
The furor doesn’t seem to be something that’s going to affect the movie’s box office, as even many of the most ardent “recast T’Challa” stans still say they’ll probably still see the movie.
“I said this before, I’m gonna give #WakandaForever a fair viewing because it looks good, and all the blk women actresses look like they did a great job in the film. But don’t get it tied up. I’m STILL WITH #RecastTChalla until they #RecastTChalla. Two things can be true at once.”
Of course, Marvel is notoriously tight-lipped about plots for its tentpoles, so right now all we have to go by is the trailer. There’s no reason to think the conversation will change after the movie comes out on Nov. 11.