Letitia Wright Discusses the Future of the ‘Black Panther’ Franchise

by Justin Hermes · December 9, 2025

With the Marvel multiverse set to come together for the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, speculation has run rampant that Kevin Feige and his team will use this opportunity to recast the role of T’Challa.

When the first Black Panther hit theaters in 2018, it seemed clear that Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa was poised to become one of the defining figures of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), especially as the original Avengers started stepping aside.

MARVEL’S AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Chadwick Boseman as T’Chaka/Black Panther

By the time Avengers: Endgame arrived, Black Panther stood shoulder to shoulder with Captain America and Iron Man, and the franchise’s future appeared brighter than ever.

Tragedy Strikes

Then, on August 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer at just 43 years old. In an instant, Marvel was faced with an unthinkable decision.

In time, Ryan Coogler and the rest of the Black Panther creative team chose to move forward with a sequel. But when it came to T’Challa, Marvel faced a major decision. Should the role be recast, or should the character be written out entirely?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ultimately provided the answer. In the film’s opening moments, T’Challa is revealed to have passed away, paving the way for Shuri (Letitia Wright) to take up the Black Panther mantle.

Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

While Wright’s version of Black Panther has been well-received, the clamor for a T’Challa recasting has continued to grow.

Letitia Wright Discusses ‘Black Panther 3’

In a recent interview with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley, Letitia Wright was asked about her character’s future, specifically, the plans for Black Panther 3.

Source: Marvel Studios

“I have no clue. All I know is that we just finished Secret Wars, and that was really great,” she said before quickly correcting herself.

“Doomsday, sorry. I confuse the two. I confused the two. “That’s what I have to film next, Secret Wars. But Doomsday, we finished that, and that was very great.”

Source: Marvel/ Empire

Discussing her future, Wright noted that she is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“And I’m going to patiently wait for my director to come back to me about anything to do with Black Panther. But so far Doomsday was really, really fun,” she said.

Source: Marvel Studios

“Always. Always. It’s an honor, but it’s also a tribute and a legacy for all that we’ve done in the first films, and I carry my brother every time. It’s a big, big, huge honor for me. I’m excited for the growth of Shuri to be seen in these next few films.”

A New Black Panther?

Finally, Wright was asked about Marvel recasting T’Challa. The actress would not give anything away.

RGR86B LETITIA WRIGHT, BLACK PANTHER, 2018

“I love stories. And I love the way the Marvel universe just expands and twists and turns, and it’s just one of those twists and turns, and let’s see what happens. I am just excited about it. I’m excited about the growth of this franchise. I love this franchise so, so much. Yeah, you just have to come to the cinemas, Liam.”

While a recasting of T’Challa would not necessarily spell the end of Wright’s Suri, it would muddy the future of the Black Panther franchise.