Damson Idris Reveals Whether He Will Assume the Role of Black Panther
One of the biggest questions surrounding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is what to do with Black Panther.
When the first Black Panther film was released in 2018, it looked like Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa would become the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially as the original Avengers began to retire.
By the time Avengers: Endgame was released, Black Panther was on even footing with Captain America and Iron Man. The future of the franchise, understandably, looked bright.
Image: Marvel Studios
Then, the unthinkable happened.
On August 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer at the age of 43. Suddenly, Marvel found itself in uncharted territory.
Marvel Chose Not To Recast T’Challa
Eventually, Ryan Coogler and the rest of the Black Panther creative team decided to forge ahead with Black Panther 2. However, when it came to the character of T’Challa, Marvel had another decision to make- would they recast the role or kill off the character?
That question was answered in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, when T’Challa passed away in the film’s opening scenes and Shuri (Letitia Wright) assumed the mantle of Black Panther.
Source: Marvel Studios
While many fans lauded the decision to shift the franchise’s focus to Shuri, others bemoaned the loss of one of Marvel’s great characters. In subsequent years, speculation has continued that Marvel would somehow recast the role, using the multiversal misadventures of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as a narrative excuse.
Source: Marvel Studios
One name often thrown out as a possible new T’Challa has been Damson Idris.
Damson Idris Weighs In
During a recent appearance on the Today Show, Idris played a game of “yes or no,” where he was asked a series of questions in quick order.
“There’s some speculation out there in the universe that you could be cast as the next Black Panther,” co-anchor Craig Melvin said. “Have you had any conversations about that? Yes or no?”
Photo: Hello Beautiful
Interestingly, Idris vaguely replied, “Yes-no!”
After some discussion, Idris was asked if he would take the role if he were offered it.
“Yes,” he quickly replied.
Photo: AP News
What Will Marvel Do?
While Marvel has not announced the future of T’Challa in the MCU, we do know that the studio has numerous projects centered on Wakanda. In addition to the aforementioned Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War, there is also Black Panther 3.
Source: Marvel Studios
Needless to say, we should learn more soon.
