Marvel Studios is pulling back on two of its Black superheroes, an unfortunate trend that just reached a new low. The studio has spent years building a reputation for inclusion, with Black Panther turning T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) into a hero the Black community could look up to, and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) becoming the MCU's first Asian lead. That same commitment showed up elsewhere, with Brie Larson pushing Captain Marvel past $1 billion worldwide, and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) starring as the MCU's first openly gay hero in Eternals. Now, a recent one-two punch of excluding future Black heroes has created some negative headlines.
Marvel has been going through a whirlwind of headlines lately. On one hand, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is crushing industry projections and becoming one of the highest-grossing movies ever. There's also added excitement coming off that movie for the future of the X-Men, who are getting a 2028 reboot, with new cast members (Samara Weaving and Kit Connor) joining the team. Then there's the not-so-great news.
To the shock of many, on Thursday, July 30, a day when fans from across the globe were rushing to see the new Spider-Man movie, Wonder Man Season 2 was canceled by Marvel and Disney+.
This announcement was so much worse because Marvel Studios had officially confirmed that Season 2 was happening, only to pull the rug out from under fans a few months later.
It was even reported that a writers' room for the new season was never opened, contradicting showrunner Andrew Guest's own claim back in April that the show was already in the "early stages of the writing process." It's a gut punch for anyone who's been rooting for Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) since the show binge-dropped earlier this year.
The very next day, in a GQ article, Mahershala Ali, famously brought out on the San Diego Comic-Con Hall H stage in 2019 as the new Blade, sounded off on Marvel for the film never happening.
Ali shared that he will, once and for all, not be playing Blade at Marvel Studios. When asked whether the movie was still happening, he bluntly explained how if Marvel wanted to do it with him, it would've happened, and he's now (rightfully) "moved on:"
"When I look at what is for me, is it was either this or that—and I'll take this. No offense to them (Marvel Studios). I've been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I've learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me. If they wanted to do it, we would've done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on."
These events, occurring over the span of two days, were a brutal wake-up call for many fans, sparking widespread online outrage.
It's also only part of the story, as many fans have pointed out. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) are all missing from the Avengers: Doomsday roster. Marvel even seems to be burying Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), with an Ironheart Season 2 not expected to ever happen, and the character is on the back burner.
Another huge red flag is the Doomsday X-Men lineup. Marvel is bringing back the Fox X-Men, but not Halle Berry's Storm. In fact, all seven returning X-Men are white, and as all Marvel fans know, the diversity of the mutants is one of their strong suits, and why readers and watchers have grown so attached over the decades.
The Black Panther franchise should not be the only movie set around people of color. In fact, others have been critical that Blade, Armor Wars, and a Shang-Chi sequel don't seem to be happening, yet a Ryan Gosling Ghost Rider movie is in the works and will very likely get made under the tutelage of director Shawn Levy.
Marvel seemed to agree with expanding beyond Black Panther, creating a fourth Captain America film centered on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). That movie, Captain America: Brave New World, wasn't received well, and now Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers in Doomsday, expected to play a much larger role than Sam.
Even if they don't call Steve "Cap" anymore in the movie, his presence alone takes away from Sam's turn on the mantle and the perception of a Black Captain America leading an Avengers team.
All together, it's a bad look for Disney's biggest IP brand, and clearly, people have taken notice. At this point, only time will tell, as they steer towards Doomsday and Secret Wars to close out the Multiverse Saga, but there needs to be a real reformation done by Feige and company.
Is Marvel Studios Moving Backward?
The good news, if you even want to consider it, is that at least Ryan Coogler is returning for a third Black Panther film. In even bigger news, Marvel Studios saved this for the grand finale of their Hall H panel this year: David Jonsson has been cast as the new Black Panther, aka T'Challa Jr. (last seen as a kid at the end of Wakanda Forever).
Black Panther is truly an inspiring franchise, even having to deal with the real-world death of its star, Chadwick Boseman. The series of films also isn't afraid to tackle mature, geopolitical topics.
In the first film, Coogler asks a hard question: Does a wealthy nation that avoided colonization owe help to people still dealing with its damage today?
Wakanda Forever carries that same idea into Mesoamerican history, showing how powerful countries have long taken resources from smaller, independent nations. These are exactly the kinds of stories Marvel needs more of, stories that connect with audiences while teaching them something real.
2028's X-Men movie could also be a place for more stories about people of color, namely with Storm (Ororo Munroe), a character most people thought Fox never got right. Jayme Lawson (Sinners, The Batman) has popped up as a rumor to take on the MCU role, but for now, that's just a rumor.
Beyond Storm, other prominent X-Men who are Black or people of color, like Bishop, Sunspot, Jubilee, and Forge, could all be explored further, too.
When it comes to other Black Marvel heroes the MCU could explore in a future series of films, Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm) could seamlessly inherit the dark, occult corner of the universe, maybe connecting to Gosling's Ghost Rider.
Meanwhile, the cosmic and scientific realms would benefit from Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear), a hyper-intelligent, powerful hero built for Avengers-level threats.
Then there's the one most young fans know best: Miles Morales. Kevin Feige has already teased his arrival, pointing back to Electro's "Black Spider-Man" line from No Way Home and confirming, "We definitely have plans," even if it's not until after the Spider-Verse series wraps.
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