T’Challa Second Son: Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy
Written April 26, 2022, by Timothy Onime
*Minor spoilers of the BET Black Panther Animated Series in this article
I wrote this before the trailer for Black Panther 2 dropped. I don’t think this is the direction they will go. I just had fun coming up with this one day.
The MCU has easily been the most successful movie (and now series) franchise of all time. They did this with attention to detail, great writing, VFX, great casting etc. Unfortunately, some things are out of anyone's control. In 2020, we lost many greats. Among those lost were Kobe (and Gianna) Bryant, John Lewis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Chadwick Boseman. Kobe Bryant said it best, "The biggest mistake we make in our life is thinking we have time." All of these people (and others) contributed greatly with the time they had with us. History will not forget them.
Specifically with Chadwick Boseman, he portrayed the Black Panther extremely well. How do we move on without Chadwick? I’ll get to that soon enough. The Black Panther is an iconic character in the comics, because he is essentially Africa’s hero. African countries are often characterized quite poorly (there is some merit to this, but it’s overgeneralizing) in western media (once referred to as “sh!thole countries” by a person who was the “victim” of a “rigged election”), but Black Panther and Wakanda serves as a direct contrast to that narrative of Africa. A nation so advanced that Europeans ask them for resources (Which they almost always deny aid). My favorite Black Panther moment, however, isn’t from Chadwick’s portrayal of the beast at all. Rather, it comes from Johnathan Adams' version of T’Chaka in the BET Black Panther Animated Series. (*Not a major spoiler) In one scene, T’Chaka refuses to aid the EU for two main reasons. The first of which, Wakanda doesn’t interfere in foreign affairs. The second reason is why this was my favorite moment. T’Chaka states, “You could have made half these breakthroughs yourself, but there's too much money to be made in misery. Why cure a disease when people pay for medicine.” No greater truth has ever been exposed by an animated show.
In 2016, Chadwick Boseman was tasked with bringing T’Challa to life. Just as he had done for Jackie Robinson in 42, he brought the icon from an unbelievable mythical being to the big screen. His portrayal of the big cat enveloped in darkness seemed irreplaceable. Chadwick will always be greater than any role he had, but time doesn’t stop. Now, the MCU has decisions to make.
Here are a few options. CGI/VFX, Deep fake Chadwick’s Black Panther from now on. About 98% of every scene in the MCU has some form of VFX in it (In fact, Tom Holland’s appearance in Civil War was a digidouble, a digital stand-in for him, due to time constraints); why not? No! We’re not doing that (Not a good idea and Marvel Studios already said they wouldn’t). More reasonably, they could make someone else within the already introduced cast the new Black Panther, or they could recast T’Challa. I actually have another option.
Most importantly, we need to understand Black Panther’s work isn’t done, and Boseman’s legacy needs to be respected. Enter Azari T’Challa.
This is my proposal for a solution, T’Challa in the MCU is in his 30s or 40s (it’s not clear, but we know he’s older than Killmonger according to reddit research). (*Spoiler incoming) In the BET series mentioned earlier, a young T’Challa meets a young teen girl, named Ororo, journeying across Africa as a coming of age tradition. At this point, I am being creative to make the scenario work. Either in their late teens or really early 20s, Ororo becomes pregnant. That child… is… Azari T’Challa (he has only appeared in 4 issues of comics based in a different universe) the son of T’Challa and Ororo Munroe (A.K.A. Storm, who does technically already exist in the MCU, we just don’t know who she is yet). T'Challa, understanding the dangers of being the King of Wakanda (and the Black Panther), decided to have Ororo raise their child in secret while he kept tabs on him with Wakandan tech. After watching his father die, he feels that he made the right decision to hide the responsibilities of the throne from his child. Also, Azari wasn’t blipped (Those 5 years are important). In the 5 years where Azari wasn’t blipped and his dad was, he actually experiences Wakanda with less limitations. Since he’s not isolated anymore, He finally learns more about Wakandan culture as a citizen, slowly becoming aware of who his parents are and what they did (as Ororo took the mantle of Wakanda’s leader and protector during the blip). Azari knew who T’Challa was, but he didn't know that they were related. After the events of Endgame, T’Challa comes home to an Azari (in his late teens/early 20s) that knows everything. Azari is mad at everyone involved. T’Challa for isolating him, and Ororo for keeping his secret. T’Challa breaks down into tears, because he didn’t want to know his child would face the same dangers he faces after he died. But he knew it was inevitable. Azari forgives them. While embracing his dad, he whispers, “We never freeze.” These would be his last words to T’Challa (Before they see each other again in the ancestral plane). After his father’s death, Azari wonders if his father was right to keep him away from the throne. He comes to the realization that there is no better person to lead Wakanda, and T’Challa and T’Chaka give their blessings from the ancestral plane. A new Black Panther is born.
Miles From Home: How Will Miles Morales Swing Into the MCU?
Written May 21, 2023, by Timothy Onime
Truthfully, there are so many directions that the MCU could explore with the introduction of Miles Morales. There’s also a possibility that Miles never shows up in the MCU due to the tug-of-war of Sony’s interest (or reluctance) in sharing the licensing and merchandising rights to the character. However, Miles Morales has grown (and continues to grow) in mainstream appeal. With appearances in animated Spider-Man series, animated movies and 2 (soon to be 3) video games since 2018, Miles is becoming a mainstay in Marvel’s lineup. I cannot help myself from thinking that his MCU appearance is inevitable.
Before I theorize about the MCU’s plans with Miles, it might be good to familiarize ourselves with the basic outline of his story. Miles Morales is one of many iterations of Spider-Man. He typically exists in another universe than the Peter Parker we have become accustomed to. At first, Miles gets his powers but has a reluctance to use them. He wanted to enjoy his life, but he later experiences his “superhero birth” moment. Miles Morales watches Spider-Man (Peter Parker) die. This leaves Miles with a feeling of survivor’s guilt. Just about every superhero has a superhero birth (a term I just made up), or the specific part of their origin story where they choose to (not to) use their powers to be a hero. In essence, the moment when a superhero is born.
Miles’s origin story may seem like it necessitates Peter’s death for his introduction. With the MCU’s introduction of the multiverse, my first thought was that Miles could be introduced as part of another universe where Peter did meet an untimely demise, but this wouldn’t make much sense. Since we’ve already been introduced to Miles’s uncle, Uncle Aaron, who does make a reference to his nephew, in the MCU, it seems clear that the MCU’s Miles Morales is already in Earth-199999. It would appear that for Miles Morales to become Spider-Man, a Peter Parker has to die. That may be the case, but I’m not sure it has to be. The important part of Spider-Man origin stories in most universes usually involves that (soon-to-be) Spider-Man experiencing a situation where they could’ve done something, but decided not to because they didn’t want that responsibility (This is like the “4 or 5 moments… is all it takes to be a hero” that Colossus mentions in Deadpool. For Peter Parker, it’s refusing to stop a criminal that would later kill his Uncle Ben. That’s how they realize “With great power comes great responsibility.” However, it isn’t so much about the connection to the person that makes Spider-Man commit to heroism. It’s more about their guilt that resembles survivor’s guilt. They feel some level of responsibility for someone’s death. When it’s family, that moment has more gravity but human life is sacred to Spider-Man (probably more than it is to most other superheroes). In newer adaptations in animations, we’ve seen Peter Parker (one from a different universe than Miles) become a mentor/partner to Miles. While it is possible that the introduction of Miles set forth the end of Peter Parker in the MCU, there is a potential for them to coexist. Additionally, the MCU hasn’t been afraid to stray away from the confines of their comic book reference materials to bring their characters to life.
There are a few paths that the MCU’s writers could take depending on how quickly Miles Morales would appear. For example, if they wanted to fast track his appearance, the writers could use T’Challa death. T’Challa was killed by an unnamed illness in the MCU, but they could revise that to a story of poisoning. Maybe Miles witnesses something nefarious, but decides to do nothing which ultimately results in T’Challa’s death. They could also use Aunt May’s death in the same way. Maybe, Miles was at the mall where Aunt May was killed, but he decides to get to safety with civilians instead of trying to use his powers to help. I don’t think they use either of these events, because it wouldn’t make sense to have the superhero birth moment be that far in the past, unless Miles shows up very soon. The superhero birth moment or introduction is probably highly contingent on what the timeline is for when we see Miles show up. It probably depends on Tom Holland’s feelings with his role as Peter Parker in 3-5 years that will dictate whether Miles has an origin story that is more (or less) loyal to his comic book origins. Tom Holland has already stated that he wants to open the door for another Spider-Man before he’s 30.
As far as potential actors that can star in the role, there are no shortages of people who would want nothing less than to get this role. From TikTokers to seasoned actors, there are many people who will probably be able to bring the character to life. However, I will focus on one actor. Miles Brown seems like a popular pick and almost feels lazy & not creative, but he's a popular pick because he makes sense for Miles Morales (and an MCU casting). He fits the description of Miles as an Afro-Latino kid (and his first name is literally Miles). He’s young, but still has a resume that shows he can handle a heavy acting workload. He’s publicly voiced his interest in playing Miles Morales for years now. Additionally, he already has met Tom Holland. As time goes on, the case for Miles Brown to play Miles Morales in an MCU adaptation continues to make sense. Sony seems to have confirmed they’re working on a live action Miles Morales as well. I can’t really predict how they will cast Miles Morales, and I don’t know how well the logistics work with an MCU and Sony version of the character happening within years of each other. Sony does own the rights to Spider-Man, so they may even be reluctant to let an MCU Miles Morales enter the scene any time soon. Regardless, I think most of us are just ready to see Miles in a live-action feature.