Letitia Wright Losing Black Panther Job Due To Backlash, This Is The New Black Panther?
Is Letitia Wright out as the next Black Panther? And is this her replacement?
This article is more than 2 years old
Letitia Wright has been the frontrunner to take on the mantle of Black Panther in Black Panther 2 after the tragic and sudden passing of lead actor Chadwick Boseman. However, some controversial opinions that the actress has shared on social media have ignited a firestorm of dislike around her. Is her chance at leading the franchise now dead in the water? A new report says that Marvel Studios might feel that way, and that they have another replacement in mind.
Insider Daniel Richtman (via We Got This Covered) is saying that Marvel is considering dumping Letitia Wright as far as the Black Panther mantle is concerned and that they will give the title to Winston Duke instead. Duke played M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari Tribe, a more isolationist sect of Wakanda. By the end of Black Panther, he had come to terms with T’Challa and was an ally. If Richtman’s scoop is true, it sounds like M’Baku would be thrust into a position that would offer some good conflict for his character.
However, Richtman says that Letitia Wright’s involvement is not off the table. “Shuri may not get it anymore or it could be both of them for this one movie or one or the other, they are undecided,” said Richtman in his scoop. It sounds like Marvel Studios has not yet made a final decision on who they want to take on the Black Panther mantle. Could they be waiting to see if the fervor surrounding Wright is going to die down? Or maybe she is going to have to offer a public apology in order to get back in Marvel Studios’ good graces? From what we can tell, it sounds like things are still up in the air with how Marvel Studios wants to proceed with the Black Panther franchise.
Frankly, it makes the most sense for Letitia Wright to take on the role as far as the logic of the Black Panther universe is concerned. She is the next person in the royal lineage of Wakanda, so it would seem like she is the obvious successor. However, it would be easy to write a scene of Shuri renouncing the throne and causing total panic within the Wakandan government. In all honesty, M’Baku becoming the next Black Panther is the more exciting possibility as far as the story goes. And Winston Duke is a genuinely magnetic and entertaining personality in any movie he shows up in. Giving him the reins could prove to be the best outcome from a depressing and unexpected situation.
It sounds like Letitia Wright still has a chance at becoming Black Panther, but Marvel Studios looks like they are weighing all the options they believe are available to them. It is going to be a tough decision to make no matter what and we do not envy them. Hopefully, whatever decision they land on can end up being the one that pays the best tribute to Chadwick Boseman and the indelible stamp he has left on this superhero.
