A new T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could end up leading to a Black Panther twist to the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man moment where he saves Zendaya’s MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Chadwick Boseman made Black Panther one of the most popular heroes in the MCU. While the actor would sadly not stay in the franchise for as long as expected, Boseman was part of some of the best movies in the MCU. The actor died in 2020 after battling with colon cancer. Marvel did not recast the role.

Instead, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made T’Challa’s death the starting point of the movie. The project was led by Leтιтia Wright, with Shuri succeeding her brother as the MCU’s Black Panther. The character is expected to be back for the confirmed Black Panther 3 and more. However, there is a chance that Shuri might not be the MCU’s Black Panther for long, or at least not the only active version of the character in the franchise, as Marvel’s upcoming movies could be bringing back T’Challa years after the character tragically died.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Saw Shuri Blaming Herself For T’Challa’s Death

The MCU Movie Was The Franchise’s Most Emotional

Released a couple of years after Chadwick Boseman’s pᴀssing, Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler decided to make Black Panther: Wakanda Forever an exploration of grief. Such a delicate topic was handled incredibly well by the MCU movie, with Shuri and Wakanda as a whole grieving the mᴀssive loss of T’Challa. Wakanda Forever starts with Shuri desperately attempting to save her brother’s life. T’Challa is dying from an illness that Shuri thinks can be cured by the Heart-Shaped Herb. However, she has to come up with a synthesized version as Killmonger burned the real thing in 2018’s Black Panther.

Shuri fails to do so in time, and her brother dies. That guilt destroys Leтιтia Wright’s character from the inside. After a one-year time jump, Shuri is still shown to be distraught, having failed to save T’Challa despite being touted by the world as a genius. The MCU movie would then follow Shuri as she moves through her grief and its different stages. After being angry for a long time, Shuri finally finds a path to healing. First, she manages to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb. Then, Shuri forgives Namor and forges peace. Finally, upon meeting T’Challa’s son, Toussaint, Shuri can move on.

Marvel Is Reportedly Recasting T’Challa To Bring Him Back Through The Multiverse

It Would Be Separate From Chadwick Boseman’s Version Of The Character

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was all about T’Challa’s death and how it impacted those who loved him, it seems like Marvel might have had a change of heart. A major MCU report claims Marvel is recasting T’Challa. According to the report, Marvel Studios would use the Multiverse Saga for it. Instead of casting a new actor to take over Chadwick Boseman’s role, the studio would not resurrect T’Challa but use the multiverse to bring in a variant of the character. The report also states that an actor was offered the role but decided not to accept.

This happened last year, just a couple of months after Robert Downey Jr. was announced to have come back to the MCU as Doctor Doom. That casting showed how the multiverse can lead to unexpected choices. As such, established MCU actors, such as Michael B. Jordan, could now become T’Challa through the multiverse. Fans have long been asking for a good version of Killmonger to return through the multiverse. However, since Black Panther is Michael B. Jordan’s childhood dream Marvel role, perhaps the actor could play T’Challa, especially if more stars refuse the role like the first one asked did.

Shuri Meeting A Multiverse T’Challa Could Give Her Closure Like Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man

The MCU’s Black Panther Can Repeat A Spider-Man Moment

T’Challa’s MCU return through the multiverse could present Shuri with a moment of catharsis. It would not be the first time that something similar has happened. In 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker returned and found closure. After failing to save Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter was able to save Zendaya’s MJ from falling to her death. The moment was made to resemble that of Gwen’s death, with Garfield’s Marvel hero having spent years thinking of everything he could have done differently to save her. After saving MJ, Peter found his closure.

Shuri could have the same emotional conclusion to her tragic story if T’Challa comes back to the MCU in the form of a multiverse variant. If Shuri were to save the new T’Challa, perhaps even using the Heart-Shaped Herb she could not synthesize in time to save her brother, Leтιтia Wright’s Marvel character could have that great cathartic moment that Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man had. While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ended with Shuri attempting to move on, being able to save and form a bond with a new T’Challa could be the perfect ending to the MCU’s tragic Black Panther story.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  
  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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