Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Marvel needs caution navigating Boseman’s death
Last week, I was playing the new remake of “Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles” online with some high school friends when an Associated Press news alert flashed across my phone (as is normal several times throughout the day). But this news alert came out of nowhere. I had to read it twice.
“Chadwick Boseman died,” I said into the voice chat with my friends. “Black Panther is dead.” A silence came over the Discord server.
“Dang. That’s pretty big,” a friend said after a few seconds of silence.
And he was absolutely right. It was big and news that nobody saw coming. Was there a single moviegoer watching “Avengers: Endgame” or “21 Bridges” who thought, “Oh wow. He’s definitely fighting cancer”?
I’m thinking the answer is no.
That Boseman fought to continue working and bringing smiles to his millions of fans around the world is a testament of dedication to his craft. He knew just what his roles meant to others, from Jackie Robinson to Black Panther.
In particular, his superhero role inspired millions of Black children who were probably ecstatic to see a hero that looked like them on the big screen. And he wasn’t just a sidekick. He had his own movie. He was strong. He was rich. He was a king. Could you ask for a better role model?
Since Boseman’s death, one of the favorite videos I’ve seen shared on social media is from Jimmy Fallon. A couple of years ago, he set up a hidden camera behind a picture of Boseman and had fans say what the actor meant to them while the actual Boseman stood nearby and watched. Then he walked out from behind a curtain and surprised them. The absolute look of shock and joy on their faces was remarkable.
Inevitably, some folks are left wondering who will fill the throne in Wakanda, and in that decision, Marvel needs the utmost caution. There’s no amount of backup/stock footage or CGI that can easily fix this problem. And I don’t want there to be.
The first “Black Panther” movie was released in 2018 to major acclaim. It’s easily one of the best Marvel movies. Apparently folks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thought so too. It was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture. It took home three.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting news of “Black Panther 2” for the past two years, and they finally got a release date May 6, 2022. Then the unthinkable happened. The titular hero passed away.
The very first action I’d expect from Marvel is to delay the sequel. There’s no point in trying to rush around and make a bad decision on what happens to the role of Black Panther now. I think any decision Marvel makes now on who will take up the mantle would be met with scorn. Even the most perfect choice would be marred by timing.
After delaying “Black Panther 2” for a year or two, I’d wager people like Kevin Feige and Ryan Coogler would start texting each other about the future.
Their task is colossal. Doubtless, they’ll meet with executives, producers, maybe even Bob Iger himself to figure out how to honorably continue the franchise. They have to respect Boseman’s legacy while continuing to bring stories about Wakanda and Black superheroes to audiences craving them.
When I saw “Captain America: Civil War,” it didn’t take me but two seconds to realize Boseman was the perfect Black Panther/King T’Challa. I required no convincing. When I saw him at the signing ceremony for the Sokovia Accords, I knew, Marvel had made the perfect casting decision.
Every subsequent appearance of the character was just further cementing Boseman as the perfect ruler of Wakanda. And everyone else seemed to agree. After “Black Panther” came out, how many videos flooded social media of people crossing their arms and yelling, “Wakanda forever!” Too many to count. And that number is on the rise again after Boseman’s death.
Recasting a titular character is difficult. It rarely works for the best. You can get away with it in decades-long franchises like Batman and 007, but there are more examples of bad than good. Maria Bello replacing Rachel Weisz in the third “Mummy” film did not work out at all. Julianne Moore could not replace Jodie Foster in “Hannibal.” Don’t get me started on sequels of “The Crow” after Brandon Lee’s death.
I’m still bitter about Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as Bruce Banner (even if I’m in the minority). After all the movies the Hulk has been in, I haven’t been convinced Ruffalo was a good choice of recasting. Norton was and is the superior Bruce Banner/Incredible Hulk.
With that said, I believe Marvel does have a couple of good options under its nose to fill the throne in Wakanda. Perhaps the best option would eventually be for Wakanda to have a queen instead of a king.
And I think Marvel’s strongest play would be to have Okoye (Danai Gurira) or Shuri (Letitia Wright) step in to take over the franchise. But even these options are complicated.
My top pick as future queen of Wakanda would be Okoye. She is just this amazingly strong and capable leader who was willing to even face down her husband W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) to defend the nation of Wakanda. I still get chills from their confrontation at the end of “Black Panther.”
“Would you kill me, my love?” And she says, “For Wakanda?” Before raising her spear and confirming, “Without question!”
She has traveled the world with King T’Challa, protecting him, and would have seen him in action on the throne. Following his example, I believe she is best suited to rule. And given her combat prowess (even without superpowers), I believe she could take any other challenges for the throne. Adding the heartshaped herb and giving her the powers of Black Panther would just make her more formidable.
Of course, I wouldn’t be upset if the throne ended up going to Shuri, either. She’s a brilliant mind, even more intelligent than Bruce Banner. Having watched her father and brother rule Wakanda, I believe she’d be a great candidate to carry the country forward in their spirit, and eventually, her own.
The only thing I remain skeptical of is her ability to fill the combat requirements of the Black Panther mantle. With time and training? Of course. But this is where I believe Okoye to be a superior choice. The Avengers need Black Panther to quell crises across the world. There’s no doubt in my mind Okoye could step in to aid them. Heck, we see her do it in “Avengers: Endgame” working with Black Widow and others after Black Panther dissolved with half of the universe’s population.
Both are good options, and I think they would be even if the Black Panther mantle was retired. Okoye and Shuri could establish their own superhero identities and work to fill the void left by Boseman’s death.
I don’t know how the writers will resolve or explain Boseman’s absence on the screen going forward, but the two biggest mistakes I think Disney could make would be to use stock footage as was done for Carrie Fisher in “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” or to just paste a different actor into the role without acknowledging any changes had taken place.
Whatever Marvel chooses to do, it should be done slowly and with great consideration of Boseman’s legacy with the character. The potential for mistakes is great, but with a prudent approach, Marvel can do right by Boseman and his fans.