#RecastTChalla
T’Challa…
A character that before 2018 already brought cheers and praise amongst the comic book community who needed zero introduction as to who he as well as his alter-ego… the protector of Wakanda, the champion of his people, the overall leader of the five tribes of of sacred, secretive, land of Wankanda. The stories of The Black Panther have included a multitude of characters portraying the hero since his creation in the mid to late 1960’s. Yet, the title has always come back to T’Challa. Which is why… I feel we need to clear some things up about the decision to not recast the character after the 2020 passing of the generational talent, Chadwick Boseman.
I could point out the representation of Black Characters within the MCU. Where as, with the absence of T’Challa, the only representation we’re left with is Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). While I may be an outlier who believes The Falcon & Winter Soldier was a very well done series that only roughly scratches the surface to a side of the fictional world that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe as to how practical the world around these heroes is in comparison to our own. The story of Sam Wilson ends with him ultimately giving the shield back and reassuming his role as the Falcon, and though it doesn’t seem like he’ll be passing the title of Captain America back to Steve Rogers anytime soon… I choose to believe he ultimately will pass on the role and return to being The Falcon full time. But back to the topic at hand, T’Challa. A king, a genius (look it up), a leader, the king of the dead(look this up as well). There’s a very long list of titles that T’Challa has had over the years, accompanied by stories that at times are so visceral, deep and mirror the black experience in America that it feels unjust to only get a brief look at what this character could do with the origin’s and establishing appearances that we’ve gotten so far. He’s a very real part of this Marvel Comics community. Being able to hold command over the Marvel Zombies and even make Emma Frost an Omega Level Telepath from poking around in his mind causing her severe pain when trying (Secret Wars 2015) all of this while being amongst the top five intelligent characters in the comics… needless to say, there’s still meat on this bone.
Now on to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The follow up to Boseman’s 2018 portrayal of T’Challa, which fans were literally foaming at the mouth for after his debut appearance in Captain America: Civil War. The movie that is rumored to debut character’s such as Namor of Atlantis and Victor Vin Doom/Dr. Doom. Leaving me to assume that this will be a take on the storyline when Dr. Doom tried seizing the mound of Vibranium, building an alliance with Namor to try to achieve this major feet. If this turns out to be true and the character of T’Challa indeed does not appear and is killed off AGAIN. It will serve as a slap in the face for a lot of fans of the IP… and not just black fans either.
Initially, I didn’t have a real take on the decision to not recast and to forge ahead with the rewrites and making the film. I mean it’s Ryan Coogler we’re talking about here. He fucking made Rocky Balboa relative again and told a legacy story out of a foot note from Rocky IV (I’m taking about Creed & Creed II, you uncouth salamanders) How could he do wrong? I don’t think BP:WF would be bad even if the stick to their guns on not recasting… but they still need to recast. I gave you my representation argument already, but this isn’t about that. Beyond representation and you black Americans having a king that looks like them stand equal with the likes of the intelligence of a Tony Stark, Bruce Banner or Reid Richards. Beyond a character so rich in loyalty and history to his people that he’s rather sacrifice the uniqueness of the resource that gave his country the everlasting wealth rather than letting the people of his country die in vain (Doom Wars). If I’m rambling I’m sorry, but if it’s not clear to you what I’m doing. I’m pointing out that the character of T’Challa is rich. Rich in knowledge, rich in power and rich in some mother fucking story lines! He’s a one of a kind character who you’d have to describe with at least three different characters to explain the whole of his one character. He needs his stories to be told. And Chadwick Boseman would want this. Don’t believe me, check out Eman’s Movie Reviews on YouTube. He’s one of the pioneers behind the #recastt’challa movement. I strongly encourage everyone to check out the www.change.org/recastt’challa petition, sign and share and get active. There’s more to this character, there’s more to his story.
