Chadwick Boseman's Final Performance in Marvel's 'What If...?' Has Social Media Emotional

Marvel released the first trailer for the upcoming animated Disney+ series What If...?, which [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Marvel released the first trailer for the upcoming animated Disney+ series What If...?, which features the final performance of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. Boseman is featured in an episode where T'Challa becomes Star-Lord, Chris Pratt's character from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, instead of Black Panther. Boseman recorded his lines shortly before his death in August 2020. Boseman's appearance in the trailer inspired tears from social media users on Thursday.

What If...? is inspired by a series Marvel launched in 1977 that explores alternate timelines in the Marvel universe. Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) narrates the series as The Watcher, who sees how alternate decisions may have changed how the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned out. For example, one episode features Hayley Atwill's Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter instead of Steve Rogers becoming Captain America. Another episode features Iron Man being saved by Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger during the events of the first Iron Man movie.

Unlike other MCU projects, What If...? is an animated series featuring a cell-shaded style by Squeeze and Flying Bark Productions, which Bryan Andrews directing. A.C. Bradley (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia) created the series and serves as showrunner. The first season will run 10 episodes and includes several MCU actors reprising their roles. Josh Brolin, Dominic Cooper, Michael Douglas, Karen Gillan, Jeff Goldblum, Sean Gunn, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Rudd, Michael Rooker, and Mark Ruffalo are just a few actors voicing the animated versions of their characters.

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Boseman died on Aug. 28, 2020, at age 43, following a private battle with colon cancer. His last film, Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He also earned a posthumous SAG nomination for his supporting role in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. He was best known for starring as T'Challa/Black Panther in the MCU movies. He played the role in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

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After Boseman's death, Marvel continued work on a Black Panther sequel. Now titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it will be directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige. T'Challa will not be recast, but the film will instead focus on other Wakanda characters played by Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett. Production started in Atlanta late last month. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.

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"I wanted to acknowledge the devastating loss of a dear family and a member of the Marvel Studios family," Feige said during the Disney Investor Day event in December 2020. "Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual, who affected all of our lives professionally and personally."

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"His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past and it's for that reason that we will not recast the character," Feige continued. "However, 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 the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."

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While Boseman recorded lines for What If...?, many other actors didn't come back. Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel - who were played by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Brie Larson, respectively - will be voiced by new actors.

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The first episode of Marvel's What If...? will debut on Disney+ on Wednesday, Aug. 11. Like Loki, new episodes will be released on Wednesdays.

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