A year and a half after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, voices are being raised to implore Marvel to bring Black Panther, the first black superhero, back to life.
Launched in April, an online petition is circulating to resurrect T’Challa aka Black Panther, the king of the African nation Wakanda. After the death of his performer, Chadwick Boseman, from colon cancer, at the age of 43, the president of Marvel Studios had ruled out this possibility, judging that the role was intimately linked to the actor.
Since Monday, the discussion has been relaunched on social networks with the hashtags #RecastTChalla and #SaveTChalla. Thousands of Internet users have highlighted the cultural impact of Black panther, released in 2018, and what he accomplished on behalf of African and African American representation.
“T’Challa’s legacy as the Black Panther shouldn’t end with Chadwick, it should begin with him. Continue what he started, “wrote a netizen on Twitter.
Supporters of the movement include the actor’s brother, Derrick Bosman, and cultural critic Emmanuel Noisette, the author of the petition, which has collected nearly 50,000 signatures.
“T’Challa is important and deserves his stories to continue to be told, regardless of who wears the costume.” [de Black Panther] », Argued the critic to Los Angeles Times.
The protest movement occurs on the sidelines of the filming of Black panther 2. Expected for the fall of 2022, the second part will be worn by Lupita Nyong’o, T’Challa’s lover and Letitia Wright, his sister, many of whom suspect to be Black Panther’s successor.