What if they made the new Black Panther significantly younger?
(Don't mind the cover, just thought about what would fit best for the topic)
At the end of BP2, we learn that T'Challa had a secret son (conveniently also named T'Challa). Toussaint, as he appears in the movie, could not have been older than 12, and with current rumors about Damson Idris being cast in the role, it is likely that they'll use the multiverse wackiness of Doomsday and/or Secret Wars to bring in an new T'Challa (whether or not Idris gets the role). While I have no problems with this personally, there is a unique opportunity to bring in a new, younger BP that is closer to the current timeline. But you might ask, "why would they do this?"
1.) The idea is not entirely novel; a younger Black Panther (or, a young T'Challa) has been explored in comics before. While the quality of said content may vary, it is still notable enough that they would have aspects to pull from in existing media should they wish to go that route.
2.) The MCU is in a transition phase, with the "Young Avengers" having been teased for quite a while now. Casting a BP in his 20s would mean that he would still fit the Young Avengers lineup, while also being groomed for a bigger overall role moving forward.
3.) Narratively, it fits the timeline quite well. It has already been established in Civil War that the King and the Black Panther can be different entities, as T'Challa was the BP when T'Chaka was king up to the latter's death. Allowing Shuri to take the throne while passing on the BP mantle to T'Challa Jr. would be a narratively efficient and tasteful way to ensure that we get a new BP, while also not just completely replacing Chadwick's T'Challa Sr. by way of multiverse magic. This also allows Shuri's character an opportunity to grow and be a key piece of the mythos instead of being just relegated to side character again.
4.) With the X-Men incoming and with the assumption that they'll be casting younger, they have an opportunity to do the T'Challa-Ororo pairing. I know people have mixed reactions on this one, but an African superhero power couple in mainstream films would not only be great for representation, it would be a great opportunity to explore a pairing that has never been seen on the big screen (and an opportunity to repair the damage that has been done to said pairing).
Of course, there are cons to this. The biggest one would be who to cast. T'Challa is a huge role especially coming of Chadwick's iteration, and to put all that on a young, potentially unseasoned actor is a monumental task. Then again, Damson Idris, who is the main name circulating right now, is "only" 34, so they could stretch him to be in his late 20s. Other younger actors like Caleb McLaughlin and Toheeb Jimoh come to mind, both of whom are great actors under 30.
There's also the issue of what media or comics to pull from. While I'm sure they could do it if they tried, writing a story for T'Challa in his prime as king would mean there is much more existing content to borrow from as compared to if they did a younger version.
Curious to know what you guys think. That was a fun write, Imma go have my morning coffee now. Cheers!
At the end of BP2, we learn that T'Challa had a secret son (conveniently also named T'Challa). Toussaint, as he appears in the movie, could not have been older than 12, and with current rumors about Damson Idris being cast in the role, it is likely that they'll use the multiverse wackiness of Doomsday and/or Secret Wars to bring in an new T'Challa (whether or not Idris gets the role). While I have no problems with this personally, there is a unique opportunity to bring in a new, younger BP that is closer to the current timeline. But you might ask, "why would they do this?"
1.) The idea is not entirely novel; a younger Black Panther (or, a young T'Challa) has been explored in comics before. While the quality of said content may vary, it is still notable enough that they would have aspects to pull from in existing media should they wish to go that route.
2.) The MCU is in a transition phase, with the "Young Avengers" having been teased for quite a while now. Casting a BP in his 20s would mean that he would still fit the Young Avengers lineup, while also being groomed for a bigger overall role moving forward.
3.) Narratively, it fits the timeline quite well. It has already been established in Civil War that the King and the Black Panther can be different entities, as T'Challa was the BP when T'Chaka was king up to the latter's death. Allowing Shuri to take the throne while passing on the BP mantle to T'Challa Jr. would be a narratively efficient and tasteful way to ensure that we get a new BP, while also not just completely replacing Chadwick's T'Challa Sr. by way of multiverse magic. This also allows Shuri's character an opportunity to grow and be a key piece of the mythos instead of being just relegated to side character again.
4.) With the X-Men incoming and with the assumption that they'll be casting younger, they have an opportunity to do the T'Challa-Ororo pairing. I know people have mixed reactions on this one, but an African superhero power couple in mainstream films would not only be great for representation, it would be a great opportunity to explore a pairing that has never been seen on the big screen (and an opportunity to repair the damage that has been done to said pairing).
Of course, there are cons to this. The biggest one would be who to cast. T'Challa is a huge role especially coming of Chadwick's iteration, and to put all that on a young, potentially unseasoned actor is a monumental task. Then again, Damson Idris, who is the main name circulating right now, is "only" 34, so they could stretch him to be in his late 20s. Other younger actors like Caleb McLaughlin and Toheeb Jimoh come to mind, both of whom are great actors under 30.
There's also the issue of what media or comics to pull from. While I'm sure they could do it if they tried, writing a story for T'Challa in his prime as king would mean there is much more existing content to borrow from as compared to if they did a younger version.
Curious to know what you guys think. That was a fun write, Imma go have my morning coffee now. Cheers!
Commentaires
Personally, I feel like it's still to early to recast Tony or the other OG's, especially since they're about to turn back the clock in Doomsday. I'd rather they focus on the X-Men and F4 for the next decade before they think about recasting anyone
There are ways that this Tony can be different from RDJ's Tony, he's kinda the main reason why I wanted them to bring them in around Secret Wars time. Imagine for Peter Parker his mentor but Younger or for Yelena she's the older sister for once. You don't even needed to recasted Natasha, Scarlet can still played her in her mid 20s to early 30s, she did it before in Black Widow and Age Of Ultron and The AoU Natasha was a Teenager lol.
Even with Steve, the Avengers are at their best when there are two Captain Americas running around and Sam and Steve fights so different it wouldn't be a issue of either of them stepping on. Again, you don't even needed to recast Chris Evans.
It tells a new kind of story and still puts a new person in the mantel.
I also saw a theory once of Michael B. Jordan playing a variant of T'Challa that can show up in Secret Wars. Always the "What If Black Widow" treatment of having his world destroyed so he hops to the main one.
Also, Toussaint could not have been older than ***6*** in that movie.