Is Marvel Secretly Recasting Black Panther? Here’s What We Know

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is no stranger to rumors, but one recent speculation has fans buzzing—will Marvel Studios recast Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther? According to certain leaks and online whispers, the studio might be considering a new T’Challa for future films, potentially debuting in Avengers: Doomsday. One of the biggest names floating around? John David Washington. Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed. But in January 2025, well-known scooper MyTimeToShineHello sparked conversation with a claim on X that Marvel had been meeting with “light-skinned Black actors” for the role. Their post specifically stated, “Marvel has met with light-skinned Black actors for the role of the new T’Challa.” They later added that John David Washington, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Aaron Pierre were among the rumored candidates. If true, this could mean that a new Black Panther might appear in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026. But without an official announcement from Marvel, this remains pure speculation. Some fans have pointed out that Marvel has managed to keep big casting surprises under wraps before—just look at Robert Downey Jr., who previously said he was done with the MCU, yet now rumors suggest he might return as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Secret Wars. Could Marvel be doing the same with Black Panther? However, one key Marvel figure has stepped in to set the record straight. In a recent interview with ComicBook, Black Panther producer Nate Moore—who left Marvel Studios in December 2024—debunked these recasting rumors. He stated, “The truth is, there’s no truth to those rumors. Never say never to anything, we haven’t really had a lot of creative conversations with (director) Ryan Coogler yet, because he’s finishing his film Sinners, which comes out this year.” Moore further clarified, “We’ll get into it later this year, but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started [working on it].” This strongly suggests that, at least for now, Marvel has no plans to recast T’Challa. Instead, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gave fans an emotional sendoff to Boseman’s version of the character while setting up his legacy through Shuri and the introduction of T’Challa and Nakia’s son, Toussaint. So, what’s the truth? For now, it seems the idea of a new T’Challa is just a rumor. But with Marvel’s history of surprises, anything is possible. Fans will just have to wait and see how the future of Wakanda unfolds.