T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) may be gone, but Marvel Studios is bringing back Black Panther once again.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Chadwick Boseman first debuted as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War (2016), initially as a somewhat reluctant antagonist to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after the death of his father, King T’Chaka (John Kani).
However, it was his massively popular, critically acclaimed 2018 solo film that truly cemented the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character in pop culture, making over a billion dollars in the process and turning director Ryan Coogler into one of the best-received MCU filmmakers.
Tragically, Boseman passed away after a years-long battle with colon cancer, leaving one of Marvel’s most beloved characters suddenly in limbo. It was decided not to recast T’Challa for the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and to feature Shuri (Letitia Wright) as a new version of the character.
Credit: Marvel Studios
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While the sequel film did not have the same impact as the first movie (as few movies could be expected to), Wakanda Forever was nominated for numerous awards (and won one Oscar) and was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2022.
It seems the time is ready for Marvel Studios and Disney to go back to Black Panther, releasing a new in-depth book on the sequel film titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Official Movie Special. According to Marvel, the book will include interviews with Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and Ryan Coogler himself, as well as on-set photography and original production and concept art.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Publishing official books detailing the in-universe history of the various MCU movies seems to be a new tactic of the studio in a time period in which public enthusiasm for comic book movies may be waning. The recent Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline is a much-promoted attempt to get rid of continuity errors and clarify events that we did not actually get to see, while the two-volume The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will create a unified official history of the actual company.
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It appears that Disney is also eager to utilize the Black Panther intellectual property as much as possible, with rumors flying that the company is planning a Wakanda-themed Disney Resort area as part of its announced heavy investment in the future of its parks.
At the same time, the Disney+ series Ironheart is described as a direct sequel to Wakanda Forever, while a third movie in the series is reportedly in some stage of development. You might get to visit a version of Wakanda soon, but it might be quite a while before we get an actual Black Panther movie rather than a book.
Do you think Marvel should continue the Black Panther series, or is it over? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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