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Credit: Marvel StudiosIt is official: the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bringing back Black Panther.
MCU Crisis Management in Wakanda
In 2024, we are quite a few years past the golden age of the MCU. For more than a decade, from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel Studios charged from one massive blockbuster to the next. After the original core Avengers were assembled in 2012, Kevin Feige even had a spectacular run of introducing slightly lesser well-known characters and comic book teams to a mass cinema audience.
That included the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man (and, yes, the Wasp), and Black Panther, King of Wakanda. T’Challa, AKA Black Panther, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, debuted in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and went toe-to-toe with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), quickly establishing him as a new powerhouse in the MCU.
Marvel Studios quickly followed his first appearance with a self-titled movie in 2018, which became a major milestone for the franchise. It made a staggering $1.3 billion at the box office, became the highest-grossing movie by a Black director to date, and the first MCU movie to win Academy Awards. A new mega-franchise had been established.
Then, tragically, Chadwick Boseman passed away at 43 after a battle with colon cancer. Future plans for Black Panther were thrown into disarray, particularly after it was announced that the studio would not recast T’Challa out of respect for the actor.
Related: Marvel Introducing New Black Panther
Instead, the character’s title and central role passed to Letitia Wright, the actress who portrayed T’Challa’s sister Shuri. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) starred Wright as the latest version of the royal hero, battling both the underwater mutant king Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and her sorrow over her brother’s in-universe death.
The movie was not as unquestionably a hit as the first movie, grossing $441 million less than its predecessor and being significantly less critically acclaimed. At the same time, Letitia Wright faced a severe public backlash after she shared COVID-19 misinformation online and eventually left social media.
Since then, fans have called for the role of T’Challa to be recast with a new actor, the demotion of Wright as Black Panther, or something to change the current status quo.
The future of the Black Panther series has seemed uncertain since then, particularly as the MCU is in a much shakier commercial and critical position than it has been in years. But now, Letitia Wright has gone public about the future and it seems that Marvel has caved to fan pressure at least somewhat and is working on something new.
‘Black Panther 3’: “There’s a Lot Coming Up”
Letitia Wright recently appeared on The View to promote her upcoming movie Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot and, as one might expect, was asked about her MCU role. View co-host Sunny Hostin asked the big question: “There are some new Avenger movies on the horizon, and everyone wants to know if Shuri will be making another appearance in the Marvel universe. We need it.”
Related: Disney To Give New ‘X-Men’ Reboot the ‘Black Panther’ Treatment: Report
Wright responded, saying, “Let’s just say, let’s just say… I would like to continue with Shuri. She’s one of my favorite characters, such a blessing, honestly, I kid you not. I’m so grateful for her.” She then seemingly confirmed the rumored Black Panther 3 film, saying, “There’s a lot coming up.”
Marvel Studios has not officially announced Black Panther 3 yet, and it is unclear whether Letitia Wright will continue to be the official hero of Wakanda. But it sure sounds like the actress knows something about what’s in the works.
Do you want Black Panther to return to the MCU?