Black Panther 3 Needs to Replace Shuri with This Hero as the New Main Character

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The next *Black Panther* movie should introduce a new superhero instead of continuing with Shuri as the lead. Chadwick Boseman first portrayed Black Panther (T’Challa) in 2016 with *Captain America: Civil War* and starred in one solo film and several team-up movies before his untimely death in 2020. This forced Marvel Studios to rewrite plans for *Black Panther 2*, resulting in Letitia Wright’s Shuri taking on the hero’s role, a role she’ll continue in the 2026 film *Avengers: Doomsday*.

Now that his vampire film, *Sinners*, has been released, director Ryan Coogler is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s beginning work on *Black Panther 3*, currently planned for release in February 2028 as part of Phase 7. Although *Black Panther 3* will be his first time directing a Marvel movie since 2022’s *Wakanda Forever*, he’s remained involved with the franchise by producing the Disney+ series *Ironheart* and *Eyes of Wakanda*.

Following a moving memorial for Chadwick Boseman and his character T’Challa in *Wakanda Forever*, Marvel surprised audiences with a major reveal after the credits. It turns out T’Challa had a son, named Toussaint, with Nakia. She secretly raised him in Haiti, where he was known as T’Challa II.

In *Black Panther 2*, T’Challa’s son, T’Challa II, was introduced as a six-year-old, played by newcomer Divine Love Konadu-Sun. Many fans now believe that an older version of T’Challa II should become the next Black Panther in *Black Panther 3*, allowing Shuri to take on a supporting role.

Although Shuri became Black Panther towards the end of *Wakanda Forever*, she fully embraced the role when she sought revenge on Namor for killing her mother, Queen Ramonda.

Shuri’s always been a brilliant scientist, making her a great supporting character in the *Black Panther* movies. Putting her in the spotlight in *Wakanda Forever* effectively showed her dealing with loss. However, the next movie could center on T’Challa’s son and the challenges he faces.

When Marvel Studios decided not to find another actor to play T’Challa after Chadwick Boseman’s passing, many fans were upset. They felt it was unfair that a character who had been the Black Panther in comics for over sixty years would only appear in one movie.

To honor Chadwick Boseman and continue T’Challa’s legacy, the MCU might portray his children in a way that echoes his character. This could also be a chance to showcase more of T’Challa’s comic book abilities, like his exceptional intelligence, which rivals that of Tony Stark, and hasn’t been fully explored on screen yet.

Even if a new Black Panther, T’Challa II, emerges, Shuri doesn’t necessarily have to stop being the Black Panther. It’s possible they could both protect Wakanda as Black Panther at the same time. Letitia Wright revealed in an interview that the original plan for *Black Panther 2* was for both T’Challa and Shuri to share the role, fighting

Shuri was destined to take on the mantle, but the plan was to have her brother, T’Challa, work with her. They wanted to explore a dynamic similar to the comics, where both T’Challa and Shuri serve as Black Panther, and together, protect their country.

It’s exciting to think about the incredible action we’ll see when two Black Panthers team up like partners in a buddy cop movie. This is expected to happen in the third Black Panther film, which is one of the first four movies planned for the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Should Use Avengers 5 & 6 to Tease Shuri’s Black Panther Replacement

Formula 1 driver Damson Idris has shared that he’s discussed the possibility of playing Black Panther with Marvel Studios, and he’d eagerly accept the role if offered. While it’s unclear which character he’d portray, many believe he’d be a strong fit as an older version of T’Challa’s son.

After the upcoming *Avengers: Secret Wars* movie, there’s talk that the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be subtly refreshed, leading to some permanent shifts in the established reality. This could mean we’ll finally see the X-Men and Fantastic Four officially join the main MCU timeline, while also potentially seeing characters like T’Challa II age and evolve over time.

As a big Marvel fan, I’m already wondering how they’ll handle T’Challa’s son aging for *Black Panther 3*. Knowing Marvel, they’ve got tons of sci-fi options – maybe they’ll pull a time-travel trick, like bringing him forward from the future during an *Avengers* adventure. It feels like the most likely route, honestly.

No matter who takes over the *Black Panther* series, Letitia Wright is still set to appear as her character in *Avengers: Doomsday* alongside a large cast of 61 heroes and villains, and she may have a significant part to play.

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2025-09-21 15:05