A petition started to recast Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has almost hit 50,000 signatures. After appearing in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther got his own solo film in 2018 starring Boseman as the titular character. The actor would return for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame before Boseman sadly passed away in 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

Upon its release, Black Panther was incredibly popular with fans and critics, as well as being a huge box office success. Black Panther broke numerous box office records, such as becoming the highest-grossing solo superhero movie ever, making a sequel inevitable. Black Panther 2 was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, with Ryan Coogler returning as director. Even after Boseman's tragic death, Marvel decided to move forward on the sequel to honor the late actor. However, Marvel made it clear that they would not recast T'Challa.

Related: Black Panther 2 Shouldn't Have A Villain (Because It Can't Beat Killmonger)

Even though Disney is holding firm in their decision not to recast T'Challa, E-Man's Movie Reviews started a petition on Change.org to try to change the studio's mind. The petition is calling for Disney not to kill T'Challa, but to recast him so that he can continue to inspire fans who saw themselves in the character. Claiming "The #1 way to kill a legend, is to stop telling their story" the petition is gaining traction with almost 50,000 signatures at the time of this writing. A segment of the petition's argument can be read below:

This is a call for the President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, Co-President Louis D'Esposito, and Writer/Director Ryan Coogler to reconsider their decision, and recast the role of "T'Challa" in the Black Panther franchise. If Marvel Studios removes T’Challa, it would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him. That also includes the millions of fans who were inspired by the character as well.

By not recasting, it could stifle the opportunity for one of the most popular, leading Black superheroes to add on to their legacy. The #1 way to kill a legend, is to stop telling their story.

#RecastTChalla is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman. (No one could ever do that.) It is not asking for an immediate replacement either. Nor is this calling for the prevention of other characters to take up the mantle of Black Panther like Shuri or anyone else. This petition is merely asking to continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU. #RecastTChalla is a call to fulfill the role that Chadwick Boseman worked so hard for the world to see.

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in Black Panther

While certain actors have played their superheroes for over a decade, the MCU isn't unfamiliar with recasting other characters. One of the biggest examples is Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as the Incredible Hulk, who would of course go on to have a significant role in the MCU. However, when it comes to an actor passing away, it may come across as insensitive to recast them. That being said, Boseman's brother Derrick Boseman has stated that he believes Chadwick would have wanted Marvel to recast T'Challa. The impact T'Challa made on the world is indisputable, yet not recasting Boseman seemed to have been widely accepted by fans. After all, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever can still honor Boseman and continue T'Challa's legacy without recasting the character.

Since Black Panther is just the ceremonial title given to the defender of Wakanda, it's likely someone else will take up the mantle in the sequel. Shuri has been a top choice to become the next Black Panther since she is the sister of T'Challa. There have been very few story details released about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever so far, but Black Panther will likely remain a key character in future Marvel movies given the character's popularity and the importance of diversity in the MCU. It's unknown if the sequel will kill off T'Challa like the Change.org petition is claiming, but it seems incredibly unlikely at this point that Disney will change their mind about recasting Boseman's iconic character.

More: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever News & Updates: Everything We Know

Source: Change.org

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