Chadwick Boseman’s brother, Derrick Boseman, believes that T’Challa should be recast for further adventures as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since his tragic passing back in August last year, and with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the horizon, fans have wondered whether Marvel would bring back T’Challa under the guise of a new actor. In a discussion with TMZ, Derrick Boseman has offered his thoughts, believing that his brother thought of the Black Panther character as "bigger than just himself as one guy."

While he does clarify that “Chadwick never explicitly expressed his wishes, before his death, about what should happen with the character,” he feels that there are not enough “positive influences for young Black children” and that bringing back T’Challa is an important step in helping to rectify this.

Derrick Boseman’s insight and opinion on the matter comes in the wake of a popular petition which calls for Marvel to recast T’Challa. Over 44,000 people have now signed the petition, which states that “This is a call for the President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, Co-President Louis D'Esposito, and Writer/Director Ryan Coogler to reconsider their decision, and recast the role of "T'Challa" in the Black Panther franchise. 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. That also includes the millions of fans who were inspired by the character as well.”

The petition concludes that “Chadwick Boseman wanted people to see the role, and not himself. He believed that the roles he took on were bigger than himself, and the role of T’Challa was no exception.” Sentiments which have now seemingly been endorsed by Chadwick Boseman’s brother.

Marvel Studios though feel rather differently. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore recently reaffirmed that they have no plans to bring T’Challa back now that Chadwick Boseman is gone. "I'm being quite honest: You will not see T'Challa in the MCU 616 universe," he said last month, "We couldn't do it." He added, “When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with [director Ryan] Coogler about, 'What do we do?' and it was a fast conversation. It wasn't weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character. Because I think we all feel so much of T'Challa in the MCU on the screen... is tied to Chadwick's performance."

Plot details for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, are being kept under wraps, but recent rumors have claimed to reveal the general outline of the movie, with the report claiming that the sequel will revolve around a war between the fabled underwater city of Atlantis and Wakanda. It is also expected that Letitia Wright’s character Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister, will take over the mantle of Black Panther, all while paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman's legacy.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 11, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.