When Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 following a hard-fought battle with cancer, the world was left reeling. Beyond his role as T’Challa in the MCU, the actor’s star was on the rise and, down the road, it was easy to picture him finding huge success across both mainstream blockbuster fare and during awards season. Tragically, we never got to see any of that become a reality.

Marvel Studios decided that sidelining the Black Panther franchise and Wakanda would be a disservice to Boseman and forged ahead with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Rather than recast the role, T’Challa died off-screen and his sister Shuri inherited the mantle. In the sequel’s closing moments, we met the fallen King’s son, Toussaint, who we’d later learn shared the "T’Challa" name. It appeared the idea was that he’d eventually inherit his father’s role as Black Panther,...