Black Panther 2 Has Removed One Of The Biggest Marvel Villains Of All Time?
Was Black Panther 2 originally supposed to include one of the biggest Marvel villains ever? It sure looks like it, but the plan has changed.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or really any comic book franchise of films, the storylines and character arcs are going to be a fluid thing. There’s just no other way around it. The MCU is a behemoth of interwoven plots and characters coming out of the woodwork seemingly every single day. So to hear things might have changed for a movie along the way isn’t all that surprising. And it seems that Black Panther 2 went through a major change in both its story and villain after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman back in 2020. Apparently, this movie was apparently going to introduce one of the biggest Marvel villains out there with Doctor Doom originally set to appear.
On Sunday, Charles Murphy of Murphy’s Multiverse (via InsideTheMagic) shared what he had heard a couple of years ago regarding the big villain (at least *a* villain) that would come along in Black Panther 2. That was supposed to be none other than Doctor Doom, who would have made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the flick. If true, it would have marked a major moment for the MCU, likely bringing on someone to rival the powers (or at least the villainy) of Thanos. Check out what Murphy had to say, reiterating what he had heard at the time and why things might have changed.
Murphy was responding to some recent rumors that Doctor Doom was going to show up in Black Panther 2 as part of a storyline in which he is gaining power and taking over parts of Africa. This would have brought the nation of Wakanda into the fight, hence the Black Panther tie-in. But apparently, if this had been the original plan, it was pretty much ditched after the death of Boseman when the entire Black Panther 2 script had to be rewritten. Murphy is quick to point out that while Doctor Doom might still actually appear in this film, he isn’t sure on that front. He’s merely stating that in the new script, the focus was put much more on Namor being the primary antagonist.
The Doctor Doom rumors had come back around recently with fans wondering if there was still a chance the character would appear at some point in Black Panther 2. It’s widely speculated that Tenoch Huerta is on to play Namor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward (or at least for this film) and that he would act as the villain Wakanda, and the new Black Panther would be taking on in the story. That’s still not 100% confirmed by the studio, but it does seem to be trending in that direction.
When we actually see Doctor Doom in the MCU isn’t quite clear. We know he’s one of the biggest villains the comic book house has to offer. And with Thanos having been dispatched and Kang the Conqueror now running amok in different timelines, they could wait a bit on the introduction. We might get hints at him coming around in Black Panther 2 without even seeing him. Marvel could be waiting for the obvious reveal for Doom when Fantastic Four finally hits theaters.
Heck, we don’t even know who the next Black Panther is at this point. With Boseman’s passing there is a void for the character and a number of different people have been rumored for the spot in Black Panther 2. This movie, hitting screens on November 11th will have quite a bit to reveal.
