New reports suggest T’Challa’s Black Panther will be recast in the MCU, but this news has me worried about Shuri. The late Chadwick Boseman first brought T’Challa into the MCU in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and was set up to be one of the central characters in the MCU for years to come. Unfortunately, Boseman’s sudden 2020 pᴀssing made this impossible, but we saw a new Black Panther take his place in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I loved seeing Leтιтia Wright’s Shuri step up, but I’m now worried about her future in the MCU.

T’Challa is one of Marvel Comics’ most notable and powerful superheroes, so it was a shame we didn’t get to see some of his best stories come to life in the MCU. Marvel may soon have this opportunity, however, as a recent report by insider Jeff Sneider suggests that “the door is firmly open” for Marvel to recast T’Challa in the MCU. I’m very excited about the possibility of seeing a new T’Challa as the Black Panther, but this could come with dire consequences for the MCU’s newest Wakandan protector.

I Want T’Challa’s Black Panther To Return To The MCU, But Not Yet

A Variant Of T’Challa Could Become The MCU’s New Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman portrayed T’Challa, the King of Wakanda and the first on-screen Black Panther, in three live-action movies, and also had a posthumous cameo in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and loaned his voice to several T’Challa variants in the animated What If…? series. Boseman’s significance as T’Challa meant that Marvel Studios and Ryan Coogler were reluctant to recast the character following the actor’s pᴀssing. I understood this choice at the time, but I now firmly believe recasting T’Challa would be a beautiful way to pay homage to Boseman.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dealt directly with the impact of Chadwick Boseman’s pᴀssing, using T’Challa’s own demise in the MCU as a vehicle for our grief. While Earth-616’s T’Challa has pᴀssed on, however, the exploration of the multiverse means it would be simple for Marvel Studios to introduce a new iteration of T’Challa into the MCU. I could see this happening in Avengers: Doomsday, Secret Wars or the MCU’s upcoming Black Panther 3, but I don’t want T’Challa to return to the MCU too soon.

Shuri Deserves More Time As The Black Panther After Wakanda Forever

Shuri Became The New Black Panther Following Her Brother’s Demise

A year after T’Challa’s death in the MCU, attacks from Namor and ther Talokanil and the death of Angela Bᴀssett’s Queen Ramonda forced Shuri to restart her research on creating a synthetic heart-shaped herb. Once successful, we saw her become the MCU’s new Black Panther after meeting her cousin, Killmonger, on the Ancestral Plane in an incredibly heated moment. As the Black Panther, Shuri was strong enough to defeat Namor and call for a truce, setting herself up as a new formidable hero in the MCU, but we haven’t seen her since.

I really hope that Shuri gets a few more adventures as the Black Panther before a new version of T’Challa joins the MCU and presumably replaces her as Wakanda’s protector. Shuri’s time as the Black Panther in Marvel Comics was full of twists, turns and excitement, and I’d love for this to be translated into the live-action MCU. I reckon Shuri’s Black Panther would be a huge ᴀsset to the MCU’s upcoming Avengers team, and could perhaps even headline Black Panther 3 before the new T’Challa steps in to take her place.

Shuri’s Black Panther Is The Victim Of A Wider MCU Issue

Shuri Isn’t The Only New Hero We’ve Waited Ages To See

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit theaters in November 2022, meaning we’ve now been waiting over two years for Shuri’s Black Panther to return to the MCU. As one of the MCU’s most exciting new heroes, it’s a shame that we haven’t seen more of Shuri, and an even bigger shame that it seems as though her time as the Black Panther might already be coming to an end. She isn’t the only victim of this issue, however, as many heroes have been taking a very long time to return thanks to Marvel’s increase in work and slow-down in production.

Aside from voice appearances in the animated What If…? series, many new heroes from Phases 4 and 5 still haven’t returned to the MCU following their live-action debuts. This has impacted the likes of Shang-Chi, Marc Spector’s Moon Knight, the Eternals, Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk and G’iah, among others, all of whom seriously need more development. I really hope that T’Challa being recast doesn’t mean the end of Shuri’s career as the Black Panther, especially if this means she only gets one adventure as the iconic Marvel hero.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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