Is Morris Chestnut a contender to play Marvel’s Black Panther?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Morris Chestnut, perhaps best known as the tragic character Ricky in BOYZ IN THE HOOD, has dropped a very suggestive Tweet that leads us to believe he is either in contention for the role of Black Panther or has already been cast. It’s likely that he’s in the mix for the role, as there are many names that have popped up in the last year as possible contender’s for the role. It’s one of the most sought after roles in the Marvel Universe, seeing as there are only a handful of leading black superhero characters in their stable (Luke Cage, Falcon, and Cloak are some of the others).

Here’s what Chestnut had to Tweet (along with accompanying image):

It’s time to get familiar with the Black Panther character ! fb.me/Nsww5DYe

— Morris Chestnut (@Morris_Chestnut) April 8, 2013

I think Chestnut is a good choice for the role.  He’s been paying his dues in Hollywood for a long time and has proven to be a great addition to any cast, be it in TV shows like V or American Horror Story or feature films like THINK LIKE A MAN and KICK-ASS 2. He’s got the stature and the chops to pull off ol’ T’Challa with ease. I don’t suspect this is for a solo film, though, as my money is on THE AVENGERS 2. I would bet good money that Black Panther will be enlisted with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when Whedon sets up production by the end of the year. The timing is right to start casting the inevitable new roles and I’m betting that Black Panther is one of the more crucial ones to nail down. 

Here’s the description of Black Panther for those not in the know (from Marvel’s wiki):

T’Challa’s birth killed his mother, N’Yami, and his adopted older brother, Hunter, blamed him for her death. His second mother, Ramonda, left the family when T’Challa was only eight, and when he was in his teens, his father T´Chaka was murdered by Klaw over the rare metal Vibranium that comes from Wakanda. Klaw was later driven away after almost being killed by T’Challa.

As a young man, T’Challa traveled to America and Europe for school, and came back to perform his duties in his tribe to become a man to lead the country. After beating the then current Black Panther and taking an herb to link him to Bast, the Panther God, the herb also enhanced him which made him almost superhuman as T’Challa became the new Black Panther, leader of the Panther Clan, and King of Wakanda. This made his adopted older brother hate him even more, and in turn became the leader of the Wakandan secret police, the Hatut Zeraze, and was called the White Wolf.

More as this develops. You can catch Chestnut next in KICK-ASS 2, whick hits theaters on August 16, 2013.