Opinion: ‘Black Panther’ forever
There’s something wrong with the Black Panther sequel.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the sequel to the groundbreaking Marvel film, is set to release in November 2022. That is if it doesn’t get postponed again.
After the death of Chadwick Boseman, the titular character of “Black Panther,” fans worried about the changes made to the sequel. People wondered if Marvel would recast Boseman’s character, T’Challa, or if he would die in the film or before the film even picks up.
Controversy has surrounded people involved with the film while the topic of casting has some fans wanting to respect Boseman’s legacy and the legacy of the character.
In the first film, Letitia Wright played Shuri, T’Challa’s fan-favorite younger sister and genius teen scientist. With her crucial role in “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” there was no doubt she would return for the sequel.
Despite her role in the story and her popularity, there were rumors Wright would be fired from the film after controversy over her negative opinions of the coronavirus vaccine. Disney has a past of firing individuals that did not suit public opinion. These instances include firing James Gunn from the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” for a pedophile joke he made several years ago and removing Gina Carano from “The Mandalorian” series after she expressed unpopular political views on social media. Just like Wright.
While I don’t agree with the words and actions of these people, I don’t think they should be fired or threatened to be fired from films for a few posts on social media. Thankfully, Wright is still working on the set of the film, even after several months of postponement after an injury she had on set.
If those issues weren’t enough, Ryan Coogler, the director of the film, was arrested after being mistaken for a bank robber at an Atlanta Bank of America. The situation was quickly resolved, with all parties cooperating and communicating effectively post-incident.
“This situation should never have happened,” Coogler told CNN.
Unfortunately, this type of thing happens far too often. Racial discrimination is often subconscious, but Coogler’s experience would have escalated to the level that it did if he wasn’t Black.
According to the New York Post, some fans want T’Challa to be recast instead of being killed off. On one side, the iconic character has only had one titular film and has the potential to do more. He has been in other Marvel films like “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Captain America: Civil War” (in which T’Challa definitely stole the show).
On other hand, Marvel themselves made a statement that they would not recast Boseman’s character as a way of honoring his portrayal. If Boseman were to be included in the film, then it is likely he will be killed off earlier in the story after the filmmakers use unused footage — similar to how they did Leia’s character in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” after Carrie Fisher’s passing.
Fisher’s presence in the film was not strong and it definitely let me and many fans down, but considering what the filmmakers had to work with, it would have been worse if they recast her or left her out of the story altogether. Marvel is no stranger to recasting, so it’s not a stretch, but it feels like the best way to honor Boseman’s memory would be to include him for as long as they can, with his character and the story still making sense, but not to hold onto his character for longer than they have to.
Marvel characters like the Hulk and James Rhodes from the “Iron Man” movies were recast without much thought. “Iron Man” had Terrence Howard playing Rhodey, but after some interpersonal and financial conflict, he was replaced by Don Cheadle who has played the character ever since.
“The Incredible Hulk” film did not receive much recognition from fans in the first phase of the MCU, but Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner, was replaced in “The Avengers” by Mark Ruffalo.
Recasting is not a far stretch, but it’s hard to believe Marvel would go back on such a definitive promise, despite what many fans want. I’m sure the film will respect Boseman’s legacy and do what it can to continue the story, satisfy fans and keep the legacy that the original “Black Panther” paved.
Rest in power, Chadwick. Wakanda Forever!
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Megan Cowdell is a second-year communications student. She loves going on bike rides, reading mystery novels and watching cheesy movies.
— A02334008@usu.edu