Black Panther 3 should let go of Shuri as its leading superhero and shift focus to a newer MCU character. Marvel Studios introduced its Black Panther in 2016 with Captain America: Civil War through Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa. While Oscar-nominated actor carried the Wakandan mantle for one solo outing and three team-ups, he tragically passed away in 2020. As such, the studio scrambled to change plans for Black Panther 2, leading to Letitia Wright's Shuri assuming heroic duties, which she will carry forward in 2026 with her return in Avengers: Doomsday.
With his original vampire masterwork, Sinners, finally out in the open, director Ryan Coogler is setting his sights back on the MCU. The filmmaker is in the early stages of work on Black Panther 3, which has been rumored to release as part of Phase 7 in February 2028. While Black Panther 3 will be Coogler's first MCU directing gig since 2022's Wakanda Forever, he has kept close to the franchise in producing Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda for Disney+.
After a touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and T'Challa in Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios dropped a heartfelt bombshell after the credits rolled. As it turns out, the late Black Panther had a son with his Wakandan spy girlfriend Nakia, whom she raised in secret in Haiti by the name Toussaint - an alias for T'Challa II.
As of his debut in Black Panther 2, T'Challa II was just six years old and played by the young newcomer Divine Love Konadu-Sun. Going forward, many have suggested that an aged-up take on T'Challa's son should take over from Shuri to lead Black Panther 3, who could step back to more of a supporting role.
While some may argue that Shuri only began her journey as Black Panther in Wakanda Forever's final act, she only truly took up the mantle in her quest for vengeance against Namor after he killed her mother, Queen Ramonda.
First and foremost, Shuri has always been a scientific mind, which lends her well to a supporting role in the Black Panther franchise. While bringing her to the forefront worked well for Wakanda Forever and its exploration of her grief, the threequel could shift focus to T'Challa's son for whatever conflict comes next.
When Marvel Studios opted not to recast Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, many were outraged that the character who has most famously been the Black Panther for six decades of comic books was going to fade away after just one solo movie.
Perhaps the MCU could characterize T'Challa's progeny similarly to himself to help fill the void that Boseman tragically left behind. The studio could even take this opportunity to lean further into elements of T'Challa's comic identity that previously went unexplored, such as his incredible intellect on par with even Tony Stark.
Even if T'Challa II becomes the Black Panther, that doesn't mean Shuri would necessarily have to relinquish the mantle, as both could theoretically wear the African nation's superhero mantle simultaneously. After all, Wright confirmed to the Empire Movie Podcast that, before Boseman's passing, Black Panther 2 would have seen T'Challa and Shuri carry the mantle "alongside each other:"
"Shuri was always gonna do it. But it was gonna be done in a different way where her brother was gonna be alongside her, really explore that, like the comic books, the ways that T’Challa and Shuri would be Black Panther alongside each other and try to figure out how to defend their nation."
One can only imagine the action spectacles that could spawn from two Black Panthers fighting side-by-side, buddy cop style, when the MCU threequel hits theaters as one of the four movies expected to debut in Phase 7 so far.
Marvel Should Use Avengers 5 & 6 to Tease Shuri's Black Panther Replacement
F1 star Damson Idris recently indicated he has had talks with Marvel Studios about becoming the next Black Panther and that he would give a resounding "yes" if he were offered the role. While it remains uncertain who exactly he would play, the obvious answer would be a grown-up take on T'Challa's son.
There have been rumors that the MCU may undergo a soft reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars that leaves some lasting changes to reality. This could bring the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the main Earth-616 timeline while simultaneously leaving other changes, such as aging up T'Challa II.
As always in the Marvel universe, there are plenty of sci-fi or cosmic ways that the Wakanda heir could quickly age from child to adulthood in time for Black Panther 3, such as plucking him from a future time during the Avengers action.
Regardless of who leads the Black Panther franchise into the future, Letitia Wright will still get her chance to shine as one of 61 heroes and villains expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, where she could play a major role.
