In an interview with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained the decision to not recast T’Challa in the MCU. Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer in August 2020, two years after Black Panther’s release.

“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast,” Feige said. “Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan [Coogler, director] poured that into the story.”

Feige also added that internally there were many conversations that were “entirely” about, “‘What do we do next?’ And how could the legacy of Chadwick–and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas–continue?” Empire and other publications are interpreting this comment to mean possibly, someday, Marvel will recast Boseman’s role.