It would seem an impossible task to replace the late, great Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther but thousands of people have signed a petition to do just that.
A Black Panther 2 petition has popped up on Change.org and it’s calling for Marvel Studios to recast Boseman’s T’Challa rather than killing off the character. And it’s proved very popular: at the time of writing it has over 46,00 signatures. meaning it’s only a few thousand away from becoming one of the top signed petitions on the website.
Boseman was superlative as T’Challa in the first Black Panther movie. He returned as the character in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame before his sad passing in 2020 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. Due to the immense success of Black Panther, a sequel was inevitable, but after Boseman’s death, Marvel insisted they wouldn’t recast his role.
Perhaps the swell of support behind this petition will change their minds. “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,” the petition begins.
“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.”
As well as signing and sharing the petition, supporters are also being urged to use the hashtag #RecastTChalla on social media to spread the word. “#RecastTChalla is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman (No one could ever do that),” the petition continues.
“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.”
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While it’s still highly doubtful that Marvel and Disney will have their stance changed by the petition, it’s still nice to see the strength of support for T’Challa’s character to continue in the Black Panther series.
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