Even if you have jeany sex videos on youtubeno interest in comic books or superhero cinema, you have probably seen #RecastTChalla trending across social media. The hashtag is the rallying cry of many fanswho feel that T’Challa, the character made famous by the late Chadwick Boseman in Marvel’s award-winning 2018 hit Black Panther, should live on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe through another actor. However, Marvel executives have clearly stated that they will not recast the King of Wakanda in the upcoming sequel, Black Panther:Wakanda Forever,or in any projects that take place in Marvel’s main Earth-616 universe.
Contrary to popular belief, the #RecastTChalla movement did not start in July after the Wakanda Foreverteaser trailer dropped. Nor do the majority of those who promote the hashtag want to boycott the movie. Instead, the story behind the hashtag goes back almost two years ago. But, like most viral campaigns, it now has transformed into a highly contested debate that rivals an election year, threatening to splinter the Black Panther fandom.
SEE ALSO: Who is the new Black Panther? No one knows, but here are our best 3 guesses.But to understand how we got here, we need to explore the origins of the character, the movie, and why Marvel’s first Black superhero means so much to so many.
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A brief history of Black Panther
A young fan and a "Black Panther" cosplayer pose in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Getty Images/AFP/TONY KARUMBA Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to appeal to Black readers,King T’Challa, aka “The Black Panther,” first appeared in the comics in 1966. Although independent Black publishers such as All-Negro Comicshad created heroes prior, Black Panther was the first Black superhero in a mainstream publication. The character had only a supporting role in Marvel comics until Don McGregor wrote the first Black Panther solo run, “Jungle Action,” in 1973.
However, the Black Panthercomic book run written by Christopher Priest over two decades later resonates with most older millennials today. Priest expanded the world of Wakanda, introducing the Dora Milaje and the characters Okoye, Nakia, and Princess Shuri. Other writers, including Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Maberry, Jonathan Hickman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, built upon Wakanda’s worldbuilding. However, it wasn’t until 2014, at a Marvel fan event, when Black Pantherand Boseman's casting was announced that fans have any hope of seeing T’Challa onscreen.
Four short years later, the Black Panthersolo film would debut and make over $1.3 billion at the box office worldwide. It was a dream come true for many comic book fans, but of the millions of moviegoers who watched the film in theaters, many had never read a comic book in their life. We had never witnessed a Black-led science-fiction film with the magnitude, budget, or execution Marvel is capable of. Very few could have predicted that Black Panther would go on to win three Oscars — the first for a comic book movie — in 2019. And no one could have known that in 2020, just two months after principal photography began on the sequel, we would lose Boseman, who succumbed to colon cancer.
SEE ALSO: 8 times Chadwick Boseman used his celebrity to be a real-life heroThe intense turmoil of 2020
Writer and For All Nerds podcast co-founder, DJ BenHameen knew Boseman personally and still has difficulty discussing the actor’s death. “I went to [Howard University] with Chadwick and we were all hurt by it,” BenHameen told Mashable. “But I thought they'd probably recast, just knowing how capitalism works.”
Already in quarantine and reeling from the emotionaland political onslaughtthat was 2020, fans took to social media to express their grief for Boseman. Many expressed shock over how long the actor kept his illness a secret. In contrast, others speculated who might step into the Black Panther mantle or what storyline director Ryan Coogler might follow since we’d lost our hero.
Only days after his death in 2020, the #RecastTChalla hashtag quietly began making the rounds on Twitter. Then, less than a month later, a Change.orgpetitionwas created by Ken Ovie, a fan deeply concerned with the online recasting speculations. “Some wanted T'Challa gone/replaced long before Chad's death,” Ovie wrote in his petition, “And I fear they're using his passing as a launching pad.” Ovie’s petition gained over 5000 signatures by the beginning of 2021.
Given the timing, many felt the campaign was inconsiderate to the cast and Boseman’s family, and fans should be given time to mourn. “I remember seeing the petition shortly after Chadwick Boseman passed,” Black Pantherfan and media personality Frankey Smithtold Mashable. “Personally, I thought it was a little insensitive.”
It was challenging, especially for the Black Pantherdirector and Boseman’s friend, Ryan Coogler.
Online speculation continued, but Marvel stayed quiet until November of 2020, when the sequel shoot halted following the news of Letitia Wright’s onset injury, fueled by media allegations that the actress refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Marvel drops a bombshell, and #RecastTChalla takes off
Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige at the Los Angeles premiere of "Black Panther" Credit: Getty Images/Jesse Grant A month later, when studio president Kevin Feige announced that Marvel would not recast T’Challa in the Black Panthersequel, the #RecastTChalla hashtag spread like wildfire. The outcry spawned several more Change.org petitions, including one created by Rotten Tomato-approved film critic and EMan’s Movie Reviewsfounder Emmanuel Noisette in April 2021. As of this writing, it has over 61,500 signatures. “I was more shocked than anything because there were no conditions,” Noisette told Mashable. “If you say you're not gonna recast the role, does this mean that we're never going to get T’Challa again?”
Noisette took it upon himself to research almost every interview that Boseman had ever given. Taking time to get a glimpse of what the actor might have wanted; he turned to a conversation Boseman had with Roland Martinduring his illness for inspiration. “Chadwick wanted us to see T'Challa the same way he wanted us to see the importance behind Jackie Robinson or Thurgood Marshall,” Noisette explained. “Ending the portrayal of T’Challa with Chadwick doesn't build a legacy. You end a legacy [when you] stop telling their story.” He wasn’t alone, as everyone from high-profile social media influencersto actorsweighed in.
However, fans against the petition countered that they should respect Coogler and the cast’s wishes, especially since T’Challa might be recast in a future film. “When Ryan Coogler and Marvel announced that they weren't going to recast, that pretty much sealed the deal for me,” BenHameen said, adding, “I don't believe in telling creators what to do with their creations, and I respect their decision.”
Many Coogler supporters also maintained that sentiment, even when Marvel producer Nate Moore stated in an episode of "The Ringer-Verse"that the character would not be seen in a live-action Marvel film. This sent the #RecastTChalla hashtag into the stratosphere. Even Chadwick Boseman’s brother Derrick supported the campaign in an interview with TMZ.
Popular TikTok influencer and cancer survivor Brianna Bristol changed her mind after that. “The more research I did, the more I thought that the character should be recast,” Bristol told Mashable. So, she dedicated an entire videoto actors that she felt could take on the role.
Letitia Wright as Shuri in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" Credit: Marvel Comics regularly use a multiverse trope to bring back characters or “retcon” their histories. Therefore we may see comics' first Black character again in an alternate universe or timeline similar to “What If…,” which earned Boseman a posthumous Emmy nomination. As the mantle has always stood for the protection of Wakanda, multiple people have worn the Black Panther suit in the comics, including T’Challa’s royal sister Shuri. She designed and engineered many of the King’s suits and weapons.
“I get that we don't have enough Black superhero characters to begin with.” BenHameen said, “but the MCU is also not trying to use the same characters they’ve been using for 30 years.” BenHameen cited Sam Wilson becoming the new Captain America and Riri Williams filling Iron Man’s spot as examples of Marvel’s habit of giving new characters a chance to try on older superhero identities. “The mantle should continue.”
Noisette finds this unacceptable. “Swapping out the character doesn’t represent growth. Black representation on the screen should not come via substitution and subtraction,” Noisette said. “White characters constantly get recast and, as a result, stay relevant.” Recent examples include DC Comics’ Bruce Wayne/Batman and Barry Allen/The Flash. Even Sony’s live-action Peter Parker/Spider-Man films have featured multiple actors.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer stokes controversy — and misogyny
It wasn't long before #RecastTChalla went viral again in July after the teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dropped. Images of Boseman featured in the trailer prompted emotional responses from some and criticism from otherswho felt Marvel is profiting from Boseman's death. “I don’t feel comfortable with Marvel using Boseman’s image in the trailer,” Noisette said. “It’s fine that he’s in the movie. But using his image to sell tickets, it’s not right.”
That’s not the only image from the trailer that drew attention. The clip of a mysterious character in the Black Panther suit also sent social media into a tailspin over who might be making an appearance in the film. Due to the slender figure, most assumed that Shuri, Okoye, Nakia, or even Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda might step into T’Challa’s shoes. That’s when the voices of protest grew louder, many using the #RecastTChalla hashtag to state that Black men were being erasedfrom the franchise, while others had takes fueled by misogynoir.
SEE ALSO: Why you need to know what 'misogynoir' means right nowNoisette, now considered the de facto leader of the #RecastTChalla campaign (and certainly the most public-facing), has recently spoken outagainst the pointed bias,particularly towards Black women, that has grown across platforms using the hashtag. “I've condemned bigotry, negativity, misogyny, sexism, racism, all of that outright,” Noisette said. “The simplest thing I can say is to read the petition, and don't judge the hashtag based off of some random person you saw online.”
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Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, and Danai Gurira as Okoye in Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Credit: Marvel Unfortunately, anti-woman sentiment in genre fandoms is the rulemore often than the exception. Long before Boseman’s death, certain fans commented about the women in the franchise. “About six months after the first Black Panther movie, I started seeing folks complain about how weak the King was because he was relying on women,” Smith said. “Something about this campaign is making people who are anti-Black and/or anti-woman very comfortable."
Noisette and many of his supportersmaintain that true #RecastTChalla fans do not hate women. “It is critical for us to see a strong Black man that we respect like T’Challa honoring and supporting and defending Black women,” Noisette insisted. “Recasting actually supports the idea of Black women being empowered. I would love to see both T'Challa and Shuri be Black Panther together like they were in the comics at one point.”
The state of Black Panther fandom today
Today, the #RecastTchalla movement looks much different than it did two years ago. More hashtags have popped up, including #NoTChallaNoTickets, calling for a complete boycott of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “That’s ridiculous," Smith said of the hashtag. "So how will they ever get T’Challa to recast if the sequel doesn't perform well?”
“I'm not promoting a boycott. I'm still a Black Panther fan,” Noisette emphatically told Mashable. “One of the tenets of our petition is about supporting and elevating Black representation, and there are Black people behind and in front of the camera [in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever].”
Fan opinions on the debate largely depend on when they enteredthe discussion. Although Noisette’s petition has the most signatures, at least 15 different “Recast T’Challa” campaignsare currently on Change.org. Those who took the time to read his FAQ page might have a very different perspective from those who only follow the hashtag.
“I did not hear about #NoTChallaNoTicket or even a Change.org petition before now,” Bristol said. ”I just thought #RecastTChalla was kind of fans freaking out. But it's like an entire movement. I will see the movie, and I want to see the role recast in the future, but people are getting increasingly upset.”
Extremes fuel social media, and the #RecastTChalla hashtag is no different. However, most fans appear to lie somewhere in the middle of the controversy, hoping to see T’Challa onscreen but disagreeing over how, when, and where it should occur. A side effect of the trending topic is that fans have inadvertently given Marvel an incredibly powerful marketing campaign forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. And boycott or not, the movie will most likely break records again...if it doesn’t break the fandom.
“The inconsistency I feel people can't move past," BenHameen said, "Is that we all want Chadwick back, but that's not going to happen.”
That’s the one thing on which everyone can agree.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveropens in theaters Nov. 11.
Topics Comics Marvel