Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now available on 4K/Blu-Ray and for streaming on Disney Plus. While the film has ultimately been received well by fans and critics, one of the biggest things about the movie that is still being debated to this day is on whether or not it was right to kill off Prince T’Challa and not just recast the character. This is a discussion that has gone back and forth ever since the tragic passing of the late great Chadwick Boseman. While there’s a strong argument for both sides, I’m on the side that believes that not recasting him and even killing him off in Wakanda Forever was the right move. To back up that argument, I have come up with at least four reasons as to why that is the case.
1.) It Would Go Against The Film’s Themes
While the final finished movie was clearly not the one that Ryan Coogler and company had in mind during initial development of it, it really is impressive how organically natural of a sequel Wakanda Forever is, even without the original Black Panther himself. So much so, that it almost feels as if the death of T’Challa was planned from the beginning. Which is why ressurecting him in this story despite no Chadwick Boseman would have done a huge disservice to the film and possibly wouldn’t have been as emotionally powerful as it is.
Many of the conflict and arcs that Shuri goes through strongly reflect and mirrors the ones that T’Challa faced from the first film. Things such as having to move on to the next person up in a position of power after the last one sitting on the throne had passed away, how to negotiate with opposing sides during a time of crisis and brink of war, how much power and resources is too much to keep for yourself, and how even good heartfelt people can be consumed with vengeance to become the kind of monster they swore on destroying. While you can definitely tell how affected the entire cast and crew were with Chadwick Boseman’s sudden death, his presence is still felt throughout which helps makes Wakanda Forever a right companion piece to the original even without their main star.
Even if recasting wouldn’t outright contradict the themes and arc that Shuri herself goes through, it would not have hit as hard as it did if T’Challa was still around with another actor playing him.
2.) “Wakanda Is Not A Place, It’s A People!”
One of the best things that stands out about the Black Panther films is the way the main setting of Wakanda is portrayed. Similar to that of New York in Spider-Man and Gotham City in Batman, Wakanda represents the heart and soul of the Black Panther character. Not just as a place or even as a nation but as a people. It’s the people that holds this great tribe together, not the other way around. You can burn the whole country down but as long as there are Wakandans remain, it will never truly die.
The real glue that is able to hold these Black Panther movies together and helps compliment one another is how both seem to realized the importance of Wakanda. It understands that Wakanda itself is even greater than that of Black Panther. The Black Panther at it’s core is a resemblance of what the nation of Wakanda stands for, a powerful being with unlimited power and resources of it’s own with a goal of not attacking others but strictly to defend themselves from others that oppose them. Wakanda means as much to the Black Panther as the Black Panther does mean to Wakanda. Even if Black Panther dies, Wakanda itself must live on to avoid letting the previous deaths of their people be in vain. Not strictly to let vengeance consume them but empower them to inspire others to remain a loyal hero.
From T’Chaka to T’Challa to Ramonda to Shuri, as long as one is standing to lead their people, The Black Panther and Wakanda will always remain strong. In many ways, these two Black Panther movies basically does the whole “Asgard is not a place, it’s a people” thing better than even Thor Ragnarok did.
3.) Wrong Place At The Wrong Time
The unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman created a massive blackhole for Marvel and Ryan Coogler that simply could not be solved by just recasting or rewriting the role. No one was as important or as pitch-perfect in the role of T’Challa as Chadwick Boseman was and no one could replacing him this quickly. It would feel wrong and would put whoever was casted to replace him in an unwinnable scenario of trying to replicate a version of Black Panther that was never intended to be theirs.
The only thing anyone can do at the moment in the wake of this horrendous passing is to grief. Grief the loss of a beloved figure, realize the importance and legacy he bestowed upon the world, and figure out how to move forward without his presence. It might be the hardest thing to do but it is certainly the right thing to do. If Wakanda Forever is anything to by, it looks as though director Ryan Coogler and everyone involved with the sequel would seem to agree with those statements.
No one involved with the production of this movie was ready to see a new Prince T’Challa yet. Chadwick Boseman was clearly on their minds 24/7 throughout the entire development and still remains comfortably in their hearts. Simply putting someone else in the role would not make the pain go away. If the people behind Wakanda Forever are not ready to move on, then I don’t think anyone else is either.
4.) There Will Come A Time Later!
Once we get to the end of the film and see Shuri burning her funeral robe in accordance with her late mother’s wishes, we see her taking that one last moment of grief. We see her remembering her late great brother and all the amazing things he has done for his people. It’s the moment that Shuri has been waiting for at least a year now. A moment to finally be alone and be allowed to grief and mourn in peace.
What happens from here on out remains to be seen but if the post credit scene is any indication, there may come a time in the future that a brand new T’Challa will come to the world. After her time of grief, Shuri is visited by Nakia where she reveals that she and T’Challa had a son that she has been raising in secret. The son’s name is revealed to be Toussaint and that his Wakanda name is T’Challa, named after his own father and the Black Panther himself.
There are many ways you can interpret that post credit scene but to me, that is getting across the message that there will be another T’Challa someday. Even though Chadwick Boseman is now gone from Earth, the spirit of T’Challa will always remains, being passed from one generation to the next. Whether it’s in the form of his own son or another multiverse version of him, T’Challa will return one day and hopefully be played by an actor who is the perfect successor to Chadwick Boseman. Even if it’s not the right time now, there will come that time some day. It’s just a matter of when.
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