The New Black Panther Will Debut In A Marvel Show
Marvel looks to debut the new Black Panther in this upcoming Disney+ series.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Don Cheadle-led Disney+ series Armor Wars may be a distant show we know little to nothing about, but that won’t stop fans from engaging in rampant speculation. The latest news surrounding the recently-announced show concerns a Marvel hero we have seen before, Black Panther, just not ever in this way. This, coupled with the rumor that Mark Ruffalo will be starring in a Hulk/She-Hulk Disney+ series, should get fans very, very excited. Not that we need to tell them twice. Or even once. Hype for everything Marvel has reached a feverish new high, and between WandaVision and March’s highly anticipated Falcon and the Winter Soldier, fans have plenty to which they can look forward.
We Got This Covered brings word that Marvel’s upcoming Armor Wars television series will include the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of the new Black Panther. After Chadwick Boseman’s sudden passing last August, Marvel and Disney scrambled to find someone who could succeed in a role that Boseman himself helped define. It was a difficult charge, one that they needed to navigate with respect for and awareness of the fact that Boseman cannot be replaced.
Current word is that Letitia Wright’s Shuri is no longer taking up the mantle and becoming the new Black Panther, but that has not been confirmed so take it with a grain of salt. But if Wright isn’t becoming Black Panther, who is? It’s very likely that Shuri will still end up being the next iteration of the character, especially because from a narrative standpoint, she is really the only person who can properly take over for T’Challa. Marvel has always been pretty okay about taking risks, but when it comes to sacrificing substance for something cheaper, they tend to, ya know, not do that.
The original Armor Wars comic series, written by Bob Layton and David Michelinie and drawn by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith, ran for seven issues from 1987 to 1988 and featured the likes of Justin Hammer, Tony Stark, Edwin Cord, and of course, James Rhodes/War Machine. Black Panther didn’t play a role in the comic story, but that doesn’t mean they can’t show up in the series. Iron Man 2 was loosely based on this story arc, and now that Tony Stark is “dead” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige and his faithful showrunners will have to find a way to mesh a good story with quality fan service in a way that feels organic and honest. Chances are, they will strike out in a completely fresh direction, with only the title of the show bearing any resemblance to the ’80s comic series.
If you need your Marvel Cinematic Universe fix now but have been uncertain about the newly released WandaVision, go ahead and give it a shot. Not only is it extremely well-done, but it also ties into other, bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe stories such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And with Marvel proving that they are willing to do big reveals in their Dinsey+ streaming shows, there is a very good chance that the new Black Panther will make their debut in that format rather than a feature film.
