Chadwick Boseman’s Final Performance as Black Panther Will Be in Disney+ Series ‘What If…?’

Chadwick Boseman died in August at age 43 after a years-long battle with colon cancer, but it appears that fans have not yet seen the late actor’s final performance as the Wakandan king T’Challa. While Boseman’s final live-action appearance as the character was in Marvel Studios’ 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, his voice will be featured in the upcoming Disney+ animated series What If…?

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told Emmy Magazine that Boseman “came in about four times and recorded numerous episodes,” adding, “In hindsight, it’s very moving.” What If…? explores alternate ideas of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including “all sorts of stories [that the MCU] couldn’t explore through live action,” according to Feige. A number of actors from the MCU have been confirmed to be lending their voices to the series, including Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

A sizzle reel presented at this month’s D23 presents a number of those alternate scenarios, including a young T’Challa being picked up by Yondu and the Ravagers and later appearing as Star-Lord rather than Peter Quill, who is played by Chris Pratt in the MCU films. What If…? is expected to stream sometime in 2021.

Earlier this month, Marvel Studios confirmed that Disney will not recast Boseman in his role as T’Challa in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, which is set for a 2022 release and will be directed by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

“Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally,” Feige said during his presentation at Disney Investor Day. “His portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past.” He continued, “To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film.”

Boseman first took on the role of T’Challa in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, subsequently appearing in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films including Black Panther, which made $1 billion globally in less than one month after being released in 2018 and inspired millions of people around the world. His final film performance was in the Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which premiered on the streaming service on Dec. 18.