Could have been a great MCU homage to Marvel Team-Up with T’Challa and Namor duking it out until recognizing their true enemy (Attuma?) and joining forces to defeat him/them. This would have been a great way to introduce Namor and Atlantis to the MCU while solidifying BP and Wakanda as a unifying MCU element.
The path they’re taking is disrespectful to the character T’Challa and takes for granted paying fans expected to put out $12 to $15 bucks to watch their self-serving, wanton disregard for what Chadwick painstakingly brought to life in the MCU. Creating art is challenging, often personal and sometimes painful. Assuming the proper level of respect for the iconic character T’Challa and his historical, cultural impact, Feige and Coogler had the responsibility to choose the most appropriate talent to succeed Chadwick and direct the performance of he and the cast in such a way that overcame their challenges, honored Chadwick and respected the fans expected to pay for tickets to see BP2WF. The professional cast and crew will be paid up front whether the movie succeeds or fails. After all, the show must go on, art is for the audience, right?
The path they chose is less artful and ironically belies the courage, strength and perseverance of the very people they seek to portray. Perhaps this is why Martin Freeman found the whole thing weird? Willfully eliminating T’Challa with so much weight and story yet to apply, makes no sense.
No peace,
Mont
Feige and the squad want to make money. All of our concerns? Are not theirs. They also are presented with the option of removing a powerful hetero charismatic unconquerable Alkebulan male "indoda ekrelekrele kakhulu, indoda yokomoya kakhulu, indoda elumkileyo kunye negorha elinamandla kumkani"...in Xhosa "a very intelligent man, a very spiritual man, a wise man and a mighty warrior king"...in T'Challa. Right when the issues of diversity birth rates via "the browning and graying of America" [ by which they mean White America and only White America counts as 'America' ] and the attendant "progressive politics" from these oppressed groups...led by we of Alkebulan blood moreso than any other...threaten to actually ensconce fairplay, actual democracy, and all of the hale and good things that the conservative Racist Feudalist White male elitist oligarchy controlling this country [ and through this country much of the entire world ] would never countenance or abide, lest the masses actually rise as a whole, these monsters of Racist Feudalism be exterminated and flensed of their ill-gotten goods as they deserve, and the now awakened and furiously aroused world takes steps to forever eradicate even the possibility of their return or the recreation of such an oligarchy ever ever again.
BP2WF is going to be a good movie. Coogler doesn't put out trash movies. I can even see a powerful moment wherein Shuri...if she becomes BP as expected, and ascends to the Ancestral Plane as expected...actually runs into both her father AND Jordan's Killmonger in that plane. Those encounters will be powerfully poignant, truly, if done properly.
But BP2WF won't be the culture elevator and changer, floodgate breaker, vehicle of Alkebulan consciousness lifting and permanently branding into our minds, and the decisive all time record breaker, that we need it to be [ especially in the light of so-called "Slapgate" with Will Smith and Chris Rock ] and that it would be...
... If Chadwick as T'Challa or someone nearly as good playing T'Challa was there. I understand and rock with even R to the H who created Shuri AND made her BP [ when sales for the book starring BP started to sag, and Editorial insisted on a major change that could ramp up sales ] because it's vitally important that we have our girls see themselves reflected in powerful roles.
But, ironically, in this regard? A White author...Jonathan Hickman...who got it right by writing TWO Black Panthers ruling at once. We can have Shuri ascend to the BP title, and then...gulp, but I have to say it because I'm not a hater...forge her own path as The Ancient Future nearly exactly as Coates wrote her doing [ without poaching T'Challa's abilities and sensibilities in the process ]. In the process?
We establish that there needs be no trade-off. Afrakan men and women can and should shine together without even the hint of a question to the contrary as the White Avengers all banded together without needing to trade off Ant Man for The Black OR the White Widow, or Scarlet Witch brought in to swap Doctor Strange out. T'Challa, Shuri, Okoye, Riri, Storm, Lunella [ who most DEFINITELY should be there; can you imagine Lunella and Khamala Khan kickin it together? That has:"teenage superheroine sister drama, plus diversity points " written all over it. So would Khamala Khan kickin it with the Daughter of Blade, should they ever bring her out ], Queen Mother Ramonda [ give her a more substantial role, please ] etc would be perfect TOGETHER. There is NO NEED to swap anyone out, and THE VERY NOTION IS INCREDIBLY RACIST, INSULTING...
...and indicative of both how vitriolic their hateful A.G.E.N.D.A. [ a nod to our Brother Ture ] is, and how fearful they are of what such a powerful presentation brings to us and the world.
Tyler Perry. Redjack. R to the H. Priest. Howzabout...Redjack, Priest and Hudlin throw a pitch for our own Black superheroes to Perry. Get it greenlit. Then we tell our own stories. Black studio. Actually trustworthy superdope #blackexcellence behind the pen in the writers' room, behind the lense as director [ Hudlin ], behind the studio bossing [ Perry ]. Ya know? Ya might even get Will Smith at a bargain price in this movie. Kinduva good time to get Smith, Snipes, Michael Jai White, and a few others...sistahs... in a sorta kinda BLACK AVENGERS-BLACK EXPENDABLES mashup.
