Why Black Folks Are Mad at Marvel’s New British Black Panther

It’s been 10 years since the late Chadwick Boseman graced the silver screen as Marvel’s iconic superhero Black Panther. Now, a decade later, a new actor has finally been chosen to carry on the franchise: British actor David Jonsson—and this decision is causing a lot of chatter and some disappointment across the internet.

For a bit of background, the announcement that Jonsson was taking over the role was made over the weekend at the famous San Diego Comic Con. As Marvel President Kevin Feige wrapped up the highly anticipated presentation, director Ryan Coogler stepped onstage to alert the audience that there was “one more thing.” From there, he announced that Jonsson, the “Rye Lane” and “The Long Walk” star, had been chosen as the new Black Panther, which was met with thunderous applause inside.

However, by the time the news started making the rounds on social media, more than a handful of people expressed their disappointment with the choice. Chief among the reasoning was the fact that Jonsson wasn’t an American actor like Boseman. Others pointed out that Jonsson was a relatively unknown actor who hadn’t really proven himself in the way that internet fan-favorite pick Damson Idris (which is ironic considering the fact that he’s British too, but we digress).

Related: Here Are Our Wildest Guesses for What to Expect From ‘Black Panther 3’

“Jonsson as Black Panther? They really passed on Damson Idris for some random British guy with zero connection to the culture. Chadwick’s rolling in his grave,” wrote one user on X.

Added another commentator, “The Brits are taking all American jobs!”

One other user noted, “I’m not convinced of an unknown guy in the role. Hopefully I’m wrong, and he delivers.”

There’s also the slightly homophobic chatter from some folks online who feel that his “bromance” with his white “The Long Walk” costar Cooper Hoffman makes him a bad choice for the role, too.

Why Ryan Coogler’s New Black Panther Makes Sense

However, here’s why folks ought to pump their brakes before jumping to conclusions. Let’s address the whole “not American” argument. To be clear, Boseman played King T’Challa—as part of a royal family that ruled over a fictional country in Africa. Wakanda, while also not being a real place, is based in Africa. Jonsson, for what it’s worth, is British, but he has Sierra Leone and Nigerian heritage—which should make him just as “authentic.”

And while we’re on the topic, let’s also discuss another thing. If folks are going to be so mad at Jonsson’s casting, then they have to keep the same energy for Letitia Wright—who played Boseman’s little sister (and the current Black Panther) Shuri—since she’s British, as well.

The same can be said of Lupita Nyong’o’s (Nakia, T’Challa’s love interest) casting, as she technically identifies as a Kenyan-Mexican based on the fact that she was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents. And if you really want to go there, Winston Duke (M’Baku) was born in Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago) and only came to America when he was nine, so should he be given smoke, too?

When it comes to fans feeling like Jonsson is too “unknown” an actor to take this on, we’re going to take a quick trip down memory lane. Why are we doing that? It’s to remind folks that the same argument was made during the time “Sinners” was first announced, when it was revealed that Miles Caton would be co-leading it alongside Michael B. Jordan. At the time, Caton was a relatively unknown star, even though he’d been singing backup for H.E.R. for years and had been making music of his own. But thanks to Coogler’s creative vision and knack for spotting talent and star power—we all ended up blown away by what he did in that film and elated after it was nominated for Best Picture and Caton racked up multiple awards and nominations, too.

Which leads us to our last question: At what point do we trust Ryan Coogler to do what he does best and keep making damn good movies? We all know the impact Boseman’s death had on him and the rest of the cast, crew, and broader Marvel fandom. A decision like this couldn’t be and wasn’t made lightly. And if Coogler’s recent admission about feeling it in his “soul” that Jonsson was the right pick, and both Duke and Wright’s cosign are any indication, then we ought to take solace in that.

We know Jonsson or any actor, for that matter, will never replace Boseman, and the good thing about the upcoming “Black Panther III” is that it’ll be centered around T’Challa’s son (Jonsson)—so we don’t have to worry about Boseman’s legacy being erased or forgotten.

Feel how you want to feel, sure. But let’s at least let this guy show us what he can do. If we really want it to be “Wakanda Forever,” then we need someone to help carry on the mantle. Jonsson has now been picked for that, and we’ll all see how well he does come December 2028.