Annlyel James 
After his sensational return in What If…? Can Marvel continue to use T’Challa in the animated realm? Or should he be retired?
Last week’s episode of What If…? reunited fans with one of the last performances by Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa in the MCU. Thankfully he will be lending his voice to the character for three more episodes. But it was an emotional experience listening to him bringing life to a character who is the embodiment of perfection.
STAR-LORD
He is the perfect hero after all. A fact that was reinvigorated after we got a chance to see him be a better Star-Lord in 30 minutes than Peter Quill’s version in four movies. When the episode concluded it was bittersweet. Yes, it was nice to have T’Challa back but we know this reunion with this character is short-lived.
However, I think Marvel Studios needs to find a way to keep the character and the legacy of T’Challa alive. I understand that there will be no recasting of the character in the movies. And that the mantle of Black Panther will most likely be passed to Shuri or someone else. But I think, in the animated world, T’Challa should stay around for a while.
A voice actor can lend their voice to the character. Just like Josh Keaton perfectly voiced Steve Rogers to the point that you could almost believe it was actually Chris Evans voicing the character. And then T’Challa’s presence could remain in the MCU. Because, honestly, T’Challa is an inspiring figure.
A HERO
He’s a hero through and through. A good man who fights for the right reasons and honestly doesn’t have any flaws. And that’s a great thing! That’s something you don’t really see with POC in entertainment. And it’s nice to see Marvel Studios highlighting these diverse stories that are finally allowing children to see heroes that look like them on the big or silver screen.
We’ll see what happens but I do hope we have more stories centered on T’Challa in the animated side of Marvel Studios moving forward.
Marvel’s What If…? is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus now.
Can’t get enough of Marvel’s What If…? Add the Marvel Legends T’Challa to your collection NOW!
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
