How will Ryan Coogler re-work the story of ‘Black Panther 2’ after the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman?
The original ‘Black Panther‘ movie came out in 2018 and was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike. The movie was also a box office juggernaut and one of Marvel’s most successful movies yet.
Highlights —
- The importance of Marvel’s Black Panther
- Villains of ‘Black Panther 2’
- The Marvel actor who will become the new ‘Black Panther’
Since then, the character of T’Challa and his version of Black Panther have become fan favourites among MCU characters.
Black Panther was so popular that he was heavily incorporated into ‘Avengers: Infinity Wars’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
The character also had a lot of cultural significance. ‘Black Panther’ gave many Black people the kind of positive representation they hardly got from films. The character stands for breaking stereotypes held against the Black community and proving to everyone in the world that the colour of one’s skin does not affect the type of person one can be.
THE HEARTBREAKING PASSING OF CHADWICK BOSEMAN
In the August of 2018, Chadwick Boseman died of cancer at the age of 43. This came as a shock to the whole world as most people were unaware of the actors’ battle with cancer.
Chadwick Boseman started his career in movies by playing important figures in African-American history like Jackie Robinson and James Brown.
The role of T’Challa AKA Black Panther was the actor’s big break and also his most popular role to date.
When Boseman unexpectedly passed away, Marvel decided not to recast the role in honour of his amazing performance and the impact that it had on people.
Instead, there would be ‘Black Panther 2’ script changes to explain the absence of T’Challa.
CHANGES MADE TO ‘BLACK PANTHER 2’
After the news of the actor’s passing, there were some rumours of Marvel cancelling ‘Black Panther 2’. But, on remembering what the role of Black Panther meant to Chadwick Boseman, Marvel decided to continue the story and honour Boseman’s legacy.
Ryan Coogler, who is the main creator of the MCU version of ‘Black Panther’, has shared that ‘Black Panther 2’ will not use body doubles or a CGI version of Black Panther in the movie.
The script will address how the other characters are coping with the loss of Wakanda’s ruler and will also explore another secret Marvel country.
THE VILLAIN OF ‘BLACK PANTHER 2’
While DC has already established Atlantis in their universe using the ‘Aquaman’ movie, the concept of Atlantis is in the public domain which means that Marvel is free to copy them.
What will be different about Marvel’s Atlantis is that it will act as a rival nation to Wakanda. The writers of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ have already confirmed that Wakanda and Atlantis have been at odds before.
In ‘Avengers: Endgame’, when Black Widow is taking a briefing from the other remaining Avengers, she asks Okoye about an underwater earthquake. Okoye denies that it is an issue, but she only says that to hide the tensions between the two rival nations. Since Atlantis is underwater, this “earthquake” is sure to be connected to some kind of battle between the armies of Wakanda and Atlantis.
It is also worth mentioning that Namor has appeared in the comics to be an adversary to Black Panther, he had once single-handedly carried out a terrorist attack on Wakanda.
There are rumours that actor Tenoch Huerta will play the role of Namor.
THE NEW BLACK PANTHER
While Marvel has taken a clear stance against re-casting or using a digital double for Chadwick Boseman, the ‘Black Panther 2’ script changes will take some inspiration from the comic book mythology of the character.
Since Black Panther is only a title, it can be passed on from one generation to the next. Even in ‘Black Panther’, T’Challa visits his father in the ancestral plane to get the mantle.
Similar to this, T’Challa’s sister Shuri will take over the role of Black Panther in ‘Black Panther 2’. There is a precedent for this in the comics as well and will likely be incorporated in the ‘Black Panther’ sequel.
How do you feel about Wakanda vs. Atlantis and the passing of the Black Panther mantle? Share your thoughts in the comments down below.
