Black Panther 2 Story Before Chadwick Boseman’s Death Teased By Director

Director Ryan Coogler teases details for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's story before Chadwick Boseman's death. After joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman quickly became one of the franchise's biggest stars. He made four appearances between 2016 and 2019, and more were expected to come in Phase 4 and beyond, including in Black Panther 2. However, Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away in 2020 after secretly battling colon cancer for four years. The devastating news left Marvel Studios in an unimaginable position of mourning a close collaborator and figuring out what to do with Black Panther 2.

The entire Marvel Studios team and director Ryan Coogler eventually decided that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could still happen without Boseman. It was decided not to recast T'Challa and instead shift the focus of the story to multiple characters, such as Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and Okoye (Danai Gurira). Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's story will see all of them help Wakanda fight Namor. Anticipation has continued to grow for the final MCU Phase 4 movie, as the film's marketing has delicately balanced the pain of Chadwick Boseman's death with the exciting new adventure that awaits.

As part of a profile on star Lupita Nyong'o, THR spoke to director Ryan Coogler about the sequel and he revealed some details for Black Panther 2's original story before Chadwick Boseman's passing. He and Joe Robert Cole initially had a script that "was very much rooted in T'Challa's perspective" and followed his evolution as a leader after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Coogler did not confirm if Namor was still meant to be the villain, but did say the sequel was always going to be a "massive movie." The spectacle would be paired with "a character study that delved deeply into [T'Challa's] psyche and situation."

Black Panther 2's Script Changes Honor Chadwick Boseman's Legacy

A wall memorial of T'Challa in Black Panther Wakanda Forever

The changes made to Black Panther 2's story after Chadwick Boseman's death were made to help the movie play a major part in honoring his legacy. Coogler incorporated Boseman's death into the sequel's narrative by having the film include T'Challa's death as well. Murals for Boseman and T'Challa can be seen in the movie's marketing. The reason this was done was to incorporate the mourning that many of the cast and crew were dealing with into Black Panther 2, allowing everyone to process their grief along with making the MCU movie. Lupita Nyong'o described the story to THR by saying, "Ryan wrote something that so honored the truth of what every one of us was feeling, those of who knew Chadwick. He created something that could honor that and carry the story forward. By the end, I was weeping."

The script changes also paved the way for Black Panther 2 to introduce a new Black Panther to the MCU. This should also be an important part of the movie honoring Chadwick Boseman's legacy, as different characters could have different ideas for how to carry the mantle forward without T'Challa around. It looks like Shuri is going to be the new Black Panther and take on the responsibility of living up to T'Challa's legacy as the hero, but nothing is confirmed. Ultimately, whoever takes on the mantle next in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will also be tasked with honoring Chadwick Boseman's legacy in real life as the franchise's lead.

Next: New Wakanda Forever Update Supports Multiple New Black Panthers Theory

Source: THR