Marvel Studios is rumored to be recasting the role of T’Challa, more than four years after Chadwick Boseman’s death. An industry insider revealed that the studio could introduce a new actor through the multiverse. The character is expected to appear in upcoming MCU films like Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. This recast could bring a version of T’Challa back to the MCU even though Black Panther: Wakanda Forever passed the mantle to Shuri on Earth-616.
Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther replacement could be in Avengers: Doomsday
According to a new rumor, Marvel Studios may be planning to recast T’Challa/Black Panther for future MCU projects. According to insider Jeff Sneider, recasting for the character would be done through the multiverse to show a new version of T’Challa. In his newsletter, Sneider stated that along with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans’ return, “the door is firmly open for T’Challa to be recast via the magic of the multiverse.” As a result, the character could potentially appear in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars.
Following Chadwick Boseman’s death in 2020, Marvel opted not to recast the role for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Instead, the Black Panther mantle was passed on to T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright.
However, the franchise’s evolving multiverse narrative has reportedly led Marvel to reconsider its stance, per Sneider. He further claims:
“I heard that an actor was actually offered the role this past fall, a couple of months after Downey’s big reveal at Comic-Con, but they turned it down, not wanting to jeopardize their career momentum by stepping into Boseman’s gigantic shoes, which may be too big to fill, even for Hollywood’s most talented Black actors.”
However, Sneider also says that someone will eventually say “yes.” He also mentioned that Ryan Coogler will presumably oversee the recasting process to ensure a respectful transition. The rumor states that the studio plans to tie T’Challa’s return to the multiverse storyline, aiming to ease fan acceptance of a new actor in the role.
Lastly, Sneider wrote, “I’m sure everything will be handled with the utmost care and in consultation with Boseman’s family. But based on what I’m hearing from agency sources, Marvel is on the hunt for a new T’Challa.”
For now, the aforementioned rumor needs to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, “a representative for Marvel did not immediately respond” to Sneider’s request for comment.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on May 1, 2026. It could introduce a new T’Challa variant if the rumor is true.
