Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has offered further explanation as to why the part of T’Challa has not been recast for the upcoming MCU sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In an interview with Empire, Feige states that it was simply “much too soon” to bring in another actor as the Black Panther character following the untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman.

“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.”

Harking back to the words of the late, great Stan Lee, Feige and the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever creative team concluded that, rather than recast the role, the best approach for the sequel was to reflect the feeling in the real world after the loss of Boseman.

Once Feige and director Ryan Coogler had made this decision, they then had to work out how they would achieve such a reflection. And how the story behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could reflect the legacies of both Chadwick Boseman the actor and T’Challa the character.

“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’ And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.”

The recent synopsis for the Black Panther sequel reveals some idea of how this will be achieved. "In Marvel Studios’ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death,” the logline reads. “As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda."

Related: Black Panther Cast: Character Guide For Wakanda's Major Players

Should the MCU Eventually Recast the Role of T’Challa?

Chadwick Boseman Black Panther 2018 Marvel
Marvel Studios

While many understand and agree with the decision not to recast T’Challa, some of the Marvel fanbase believe that this was the wrong path to take. A petition, #RecastTChalla, now has over 60,000 signatures and calls for the studio to “continue the portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU.”

"#RecastTChalla is not a call to replace Chadwick Boseman," reads the petition description. "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. #RecastTChalla is a call to fulfill the role that Chadwick Boseman worked so hard for the world to see."

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett, and is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2022.