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Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel just teased fans with who could replace T’Challa as Black Panther very soon. Many have been wondering what Marvel Studios planned to do with the character after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman to colon cancer in 2021. Marvel fans have been looking to Marvel Comics for clues, and a new series has someone truly unexpected taking up the mantle of the Black Panther.
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When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it does not appear that Kevin Feige and company have any plans to recast T’Challa. This plan is despite fans and Chadwick Boseman’s brother petitioning Marvel Studios to replace Chadwick Boseman so that the character can live on in the MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been in production for a while and is scheduled for release on November 11, 2022. The Marvel movie is moving forward without the glue that held it together. And writer/director Ryan Coogler is adamant that T’Challa will never be recast and that his time has passed with Chadwick Boseman.
Thus, Marvel fans have begun to theorize who could become the MCU’s next Black Panther. Their first guess was Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). Shuri became the Black Panther after T’Challa in the comic books, so it seemed like a sure bet. However, Letitia Wright has had a strained relationship with Marvel Studios after touting her ant-vaccination beliefs on social media and on set, leading to delays in filming.
Rumors then began to circulate that Okoye (Danai Gurira), who is the current leader of the Dora Milaje, would don the vibranium suit, at least temporarily. She is also rumored to be getting her own Disney+ series.
But Marvel Comics just threw a brand-new name into the ring for the next Black Panther.
Who is the New Black Panther?
In Timeless #1 by Jed MacKay, Kev Walker, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Marte Gracia, and Ariana Maher, Kang the Conqueror looks through the timeline seeing possible futures of the Marvel Universe. In his glimpse, a new Black Panther is revealed, and while she is not named in the issue, that long white hair is iconic for the X-Men Ororo Munroe AKA Storm.
Storm first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975) by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. She is one of the most powerful mutants in Marvel Comics, known as an omega-level mutant. She has powerful weather-manipulating abilities, known as atmokinesis. She also has a deep connection with T’Challa as the two were married for a long time, and she reigned as the Queen of Wakanda.
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Storm is also rumored to appear in the Black Panther (2018) sequel. Michaela Coel has been cast in an unspecified role. Most fans are familiar with Halle Berry’s version of Storm from Fox’s X-Men franchise and rumors have circulated that she could return as a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022). Since Marvel Studios got the film rights back to the X-Men when Disney bought 20th Century Fox Studios, fans have been waiting anxiously for signs that the mutants are in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Another mutant is also rumored to appear in Wakanda Forever – Namor, the Submariner, rumored to be played by Tenoch Huerta. Perhaps, the two mutants could battle over the fate of Wakanda now that T’Challa will be killed off in the MCU.
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More on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Marvel’s Phase Four film will honor Chadwick Boseman’s legacy while bringing back much of the original cast. This includes Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross. Rumors have even suggested Michael B. Jordan could return as Erik Killmonger. It will also debut another Young Avenger and black superhero in Dominique Thorne‘s Riri Williams/ Ironheart.
The next Marvel Studios release will be Moon Knight on Disney+ starring Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Moon Knight.
Let us know if you would like to see Storm become Black Panther.