Does the MCU have a new Black Panther? Speculations explored as Avengers: Doomsday concept art goes viral

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.

There's a lot of buzz going around a new Black Panther and some otherworldly stuff after someone revealed concept art about the next big thing in the MCU, Avengers: Doomsday. Speculations came forth that Snowfall's Damson Idris is likely to be playing the Wakandan king T’Challa.

Maybe he'll come as a variant now that the multiverse is about to go full force, but for now, the MCU does not have a new Black Panther. Disney has already made plans for the character and retired him early following the demise of Chadwick Bosman in 2020. That said, we will never have a "new" one, even if a variant appears from some otherworldly dimension.

Some character-actor combinations become so relatable that one cannot really think of any other actor playing that character, be it Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man or Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. The Boseman-T'Challa became one of them, and it is highly likely fans won't accept someone else stepping into those shoes, at least until it's time for a reboot or something.

The concept art sees Damson Idris picking up the Black Panther mantle

Amidst the range of images revealed from the concept art shedding light on possibilities in the upcoming Avengers movie, we got to see Damson Idris in a similar suit as Khary Payton's Azzuri, T'Challa's grandfather, in Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.

They believe whatever was in there will be in the film too. And they have all the reasons to believe it, especially after the page where all the artworks were revealed went MIA. One fan, who shared a post featuring a few images, fueled fire to this speculation by hilariously putting Kevin Feige in the picture after that happened.

We are not saying that bringing Black Panther back is out of the equation; we are saying that bringing T'Challa is. We sure have Shuri (Letitia Wright), who momentarily picked up the mantle in Wakanda Forever (2022), but the actress is more inclined towards Shuri. She says while appearing in an interview with The View that,

"Let’s just say … I would like to continue with Shuri. She’s one of my favorite characters. Such a blessing, honestly. I kid you not, I’m so grateful for her."

Erik Killmonger could've been a choice to wear the vibranium suit, but then he is likely dead. Actually, very, very dead, as we see him meeting Shuri in the ancestral plane.

Why will there be no T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The very reason that there will be no T'Challa is the word of Disney. The company officially announced following the death of the Black Panther actor that they will not recast the character. Their X (formerly Twitter) post read,

"Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy & portrayal of T’Challa, @MarvelStudios will not recast the character."

Oh, we believe you, Disney. And you too, Nate Moore. Maybe T'Challa's Black Panther is gone, but Wakanda lives on, as we can read in the post. Next up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sub-series is Eyes of Wakanda, which will put Wakandan warriors on a globe-trotting adventure.

Like T'Challa's Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman was a warrior who never spoke of his illness publicly, and we got to know when it was too late for him. He is survived by his parents, Carolyn and Leroy Boseman, and his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward.

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Also Read: Is Black Panther connected to the Hindu deity Hanuman? Everything we know so far