There’s so much happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the moment, it’s easy to forget a project or two that has been mentioned on the slate of upcoming Marvel movies. Naturally, fans are hyped for the three films that are due to drop in theaters in 2025, starting this weekend with Anthony Mackie’s Captain America: Brave New World. And a lot of the story seems to be building to Avengers: Doomsday, which brings Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU. Beyond that, though, there have been rumors and rumblings about Black Panther 3, a movie that seemingly will include Denzel Washington! Thanks, Denzel. What we don’t know, however, is what Black Panther 3 will do about T’Challa, so I asked producer Nate Moore.
Nate Moore has been around Marvel Studios since its early days, and climbed the ranks to work as a producer on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Panther, and Eternals. Moore has since announced that he will be leaving Marvel soon to begin pursuing his own opportunities. But before he exits, he will be producing Black Panthers 3, one of his final projects in the MCU. During a press day for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, CinemaBlend asked Moore if he thought that MCU fans were ready to see a new actor in the role of T’Challa… either as a re-cast, or as a Multiverse version of the Wakandan hero. And Moore was thoughtfully candid when he told us:
I think some are. I think some aren't. And I think we don't want to do something that feels cheap. I couldn't tell you whether or not there is or isn't one, because we just haven't had those conversations. But whatever it is, it will be intentional. Ryan Coogler is the biggest fan of that franchise, and he just wants it to feel real and organic and earned. I just don't want it to feel like a cheap ploy.
The Black Panther franchise received an emotional blow when leading man Chadwick Boseman died following a private battle with colon cancer. The actor’s health was written into the character’s journey for the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which saw Letitia Wright’s Shuri taking over the mantle after she failed to generate a cure for her brother. By the end of that movie, though, Marvel had introduced a son for T’Challa and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), and fans wondered if that was how Marvel planned to bring the Black Panther into a new age.
If Marvel Studios wanted to wait a little longer before this young boy could grow into the mantle, then they could go the route that they have gone with other versions of heroes such as Reed Richards, Wolverine, Johnny Storm, Spider-Man, and more. They could cast an actor to play a multiverse version of T’Challa, and rely on that hero for Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Then, cast an actor to play Prince T’Challa in a future Black Panther trilogy. The cards are in Marvel’s deck now.
No matter what they decide, I’m encouraged to hear from Nate Moore directly how much he and Ryan Coogler are considering the implications of their decisions. They know that fans are incredibly passionate about T’Challa as a character, and Chadwick Boseman’s legacy needs to be treated respectfully by any move Marvel makes moving forward. Let’s see if Captain America: Brave New World includes any clues as to the direction of Wakanda, and keep talking about this as the year rolls along.
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