It was indeed a sad day when we all found out that Chadwick Boseman was no more. The fiercely talented actor had been battling colon cancer for quite a few years but had not disclosed it to the public.
Boseman was at the prime of his career when he helmed the iconic role of Black Panther. Thus, his death brought about a lot of speculation about what would happen to the character.
As per the latest trailer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the character of T’Challa/Black Panther has also passed away prior to the events depicted in the movie. The cause of his death has not been revealed yet, but some believe they might attribute it to an illness or natural causes.
During the early days after Boseman’s passing, it was believed that perhaps T’Challa would be recast. However, Marvel made it clear that they wanted to honor Boseman’s work and legacy and so would not be recasting the character.
It’s been almost two years since that decision has been made and only recently did the trailers reveal that T’Challa has passed away in the MCU as well—as opposed to keeping the character alive and sending him away in an off-screen arc.
We’re still in the dark about how T’Challa passed or when. Last we saw him, he was brought back after being blipped away for five years and was then a vital part of the Avengers team who took down Thanos.
The Wakanda Forever trailer has shots of T’Challa’s funeral, so it is safe to assume that his death won’t be depicted in the sequel. His death then would’ve taken place sometime between Avengers: Endgame and Black Panther 2.
Initially, some believed that his death would be at the hands of Namor (which consequently would cause the two civilizations to clash), but the trailer has done away with this theory, too.
According to sources disclosed to Marvel leaker, Mikey Sutton, the superhero’s demise would be similar to the actor’s. Later, he confirmed that T’Challa’s cause of death would most likely be cancer.
Not only will this honor Boseman’s memory, but will also serve as a statement that not all superheroes need to die conventional, superhero deaths. Battling an illness is just as tough, and succumbing to it is just as heroic.
(This is also something that was explored in Jane Foster’s death in Thor: Love and Thunder. I reckon this will be quite touching to those who are facing similar medical situations in real life.)
T’Challa’s death also means that the mantle of Black Panther will have to be passed on to another person. To find out who takes up the role, read more at the link below!
About Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an upcoming American superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and will be the 30th film in the MCU. The film is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler.
Wakanda grieves the loss of their King T’Challa as the nation deals with opening up their technology to the world. But apart from the diplomatic agencies’ onslaught, Wakanda must face yet another danger as the king of Talcon, an underwater nation like DC’s Atlantis, Namor, has declared war on Wakanda.
Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett will star in the film, which will premiere on November 11, 2022.
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