Chadwick Boseman’s brother says he would want Black Panther role recast

When Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer in August 2020, it was no question amongst the fans that the actor couldn’t be replaced in their hearts as T’Challa aka Black Panther. Boseman played the title role beginning in 2018 and Disney, which owns Marvel Entertainment, was very quick to say that while the studio would continue to use the superhero title for another character, they’d honor Boseman by not casting anyone else to play T’Challa. Fans appeared to feel this way initially but there has been a bit of a recent shift.

It has been more than a year since Boseman has passed and some fans seem to be willing to consider the idea of another actor playing not just Black Panther, but T’Challa himself. In fact, more than 45,000 people have signed an online petition encouraging Marvel to keep the character of T’Challa by having a new actor step into the role. One person who agrees with a recast is his Boseman’s very own brother Derrick Boseman and he told “TMZ” he thinks his brother would be just fine with a new T’Challa.

According to TMZ, Boseman’s brother says Chadwick “thought T’Challa was bigger than just himself,” and “knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries.” His brother acknowledges that Chadwick never overtly expressed what he thought should happen with the character but he’s sure his brother would want the influential T’Challa to live on.

Speaking on the petition, I’d like to point out this isn’t one that was started out of some negativity. The petition notes that recasting T’Challa “is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman. No one could ever do that.” The petition also says it’s open to characters such as Shuri, played by Letitia Wright and T’Challa’s younger sister, taking up the Black Panther title but it also argues that T’Challa has history and significance in Black culture. It goes on to say, “T’Challa’s character was only scratching the surface with his story in the MCU, and there is so much more left to tell.”

Do YOU think the character of T’Challa should be recast? Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to hit screens on November 11, 2022.