Thousands of Black Panther fans are asking Marvel President Kevin Feige to reconsider his decision to not recast Chadwick Boseman‘s role as King T’Challa in the upcoming Marvel sequel.
A Change.org petition with close to 20,000 signatures outlines <
Thousands of Black Panther fans are asking Marvel President Kevin Feige to reconsider his decision to not recast Chadwick Boseman‘s role as King T’Challa in the upcoming Marvel sequel.
A Change.org petition with close to 20,000 signatures outlines why Feige, Marvel exec Louis D’Esposito, and writer/director Ryan Coogler should officially bring back King T’Challa.
“If Marvel Studios removes T’Challa, it would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him,” the petition, posted by E-Man’s Movie Reviews, reads. “That also includes the millions of fans who were inspired by the character as well.”
The writer also explains his “#RecastTChalla” call to action “is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman.”
“No one could ever do that,” he says. “It is not asking for an immediate replacement either. Nor is this calling for the prevention of other characters to take up the mantle of Black Panther like Shuri or anyone else.”
“This petition is merely asking to continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU,” he clarifies. “#RecastTChalla is a call to fulfill the role that Chadwick Boseman worked so hard for the world to see.”
Noting that the comic book character of T’Challa “is literally Black history,” the petitioner adds that “Boseman wanted people to see the role, and not himself.”
“[Chadwick] believed that the roles he took on were bigger than himself, and the role of T’Challa was no exception,” he adds.
As previously reported, Feige announced in December that T’Challa would not be recast after the loss of Boseman, who died in August after a private cancer battle at the age of 43. Instead, Black Panther 2 would focus on “furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda.”
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