The unprecedented success of theMarvelCinematic Universe has revitalized numerous comic book superheroes over the past 15 years. Characters who did not have a huge fan base outside the comics, such as Iron Man and Black Panther, have found completely new audiences thanks to their on-screen exploits. Even before his tragic passing in 2020, Chadwick Boseman’s turn as King T’Challa in 2018’sBlack Pantherearned rave reviews. His death, as well as the subsequent release ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, cemented his legacy, meaning future iterations of Black Panther could struggle to be viewed on equal footing. Skydance’s upcomingMarvelgame is set to star Black Panther alongsideCaptain America, so this is a problem that the developer will need to try and address.
While the MCU has had a largely positive impact on Marvel’s sales across merchandising, TV, movies, and comics, it has also brought with it its own problem: it’s becoming increasingly difficult for fans to separate these larger-than-life comic book heroes from their on-screen MCU counterparts. Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth are all examples of actors who have become almost inseparable from theirMCU characters of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, respectively. Bringing depth and likability to the character, Boseman was able to portray in equal parts the reverence that’s expected from a King, as well as the physical brutality of the highly skilled and dangerous Black Panther. Needless to say, Skydance’s version of the Wakandan has huge boots to fill.
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Separating Black Panther From His MCU Counterpart Will Be Difficult
In the same way as theupcoming EA MotiveIron Mangamemust steer clear of Robert Downey Jr comparisons, Skydance’s Marvel offering will need to work extremely hard to create a version ofBlack Pantherthat can stand on his own two feet, separate from Chadwick Boseman’s looming shadow. While not a great deal of info is known about the project so far, there are a couple of things that Skydance will have in its favor.
The most prominent of these is that the game will be taking place during an alternate version of World War 2, somewhere around 1940 during the Nazi occupation of France. This means that while Black Panther will be in a starring role, it won’t actually be King T’Challa under the vibranium suit, but rather his grandfather, Azzuri. Setting the game in a different time period seems a wise move, and Skydance will hope that should allow thisversion of Black Pantherto avoid direct comparisons.
The recentMarvel’s Avengersdid not feature the likenesses of any of the MCU’s actors, and while it’s impossible to blame the game’s perceived failure on that, it can’t be denied that the game’s cast of characters lacked the energy or personality to really rival that of their big-screen counterparts.Black Panther, a DLC characterin that game who was not available at launch, did little to separate himself from the other heroes in this regard, but thankfully his suit and powerful array of abilities made him a fun addition to the title.
Marvel has a big year coming up, withMarvel’s Spider-Man 2set for release in the fall, and details about Insomniac’s highly anticipatedWolverineproject expected to be forthcoming. With this in mind, fans may not get much more information about Skydance’s project just yet. Hopefully, though, this patience will pay off, and the developer will be able to produce a version of Black Panther to make Boseman, and his legion of fans, proud.
Skydance’sMarvelgame is currently in development.
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