5 Actors Who Could Play Marvel's 'Black Panther'

Features

by Oliver Lyttelton
June 6, 2012 11:19 AM
76 Comments

For all their success so far, the Marvel movies have, aside from a few smallish parts, been a pretty lilywhite affair to date: only Samuel L. Jackson was a significant minority presence in "The Avengers." But signs are that the studio aren't going to keep that up for too long: yesterday, it was reported that the company are actively moving ahead with a movie about "Black Panther," the African prince-turned-crimefighter, and are targeting a release in 2014 or 2015.

Marvel has denied the reports, but this wouldn't be the first time they've denied something that turned out to be bang-on, and Latino Review's track record with Marvel scoops is pretty strong, so it seems to be a good bet that there'll be an official announcement about a "Black Panther" movie before too long. Which of course leads to the question: Who could play the character?

For the uninitiated, Black Panther is T'Challa, was the son of the chief of the Panther Tribe in the fictional African nation of Wakanda. The leader dons the mantle of the panther as a symbol of office, but when his father, T'Chaka, is killed by the villain Ulysses Klaw, T'Challa grows up to become ruler, and soon becomes involved in the Marvel universe as a whole, often fighting alongside the Fantastic Four and, eventually, The Avengers.

T'Challa is a genius-level intellect (with a Ph.D in physics from Oxford, no less), who's also a powerful athlete, something heightened by special powers from a connection with the Wakandan Panther god, which gives him acute senses and superhuman speed and agility. It's a great opportunity for a black actor to make the leap to A-list stardom, and we've picked out five strong contenders below. Do you have your own favorites? Let us know in the comment section.

Chiwetel Ejiofor
Why He Could Do It: The 34-year-old Ejiofor has been a presence in the movies since debuting in Steven Spielberg's "Amistad" fifteen years ago, and a leading man since Stephen Frears' "Dirty Pretty Things" a decade ago, but a major role in a Marvel movie would be sure to make him the A-lister that he's long deserved to be. The actor has tentpole experience, thanks to "Salt" and "2012." He's proven his action chops in "Redbelt" and "Serenity" (the latter of which was helmed by Marvel's darling Joss Whedon, which could well be an advantage). And he is, if you haven't noticed, one of the best actors of his generation, something that should be hammered home when he leads an all-star cast in Steve McQueen's "Twelve Years A Slave," in a role that stands an excellent chance of landing him an Oscar nomination.
Why He Might Not: Taking the occasional paycheck gig is one thing, but signing up to the restrictive multi-film Marvel contract is another, whatever the benefits. Ejiofor's proven reluctant to repeat himself in the past, hopping from stage to screen to TV, and being locked down until the end of the decade may be too high a price to pay. He's also 34 years old, which if Marvel plan on telling T'Challa's origin story, may be a touch on the older side.

John Boyega
Why He Could Do It: Having made one of the most impressive debuts of 2011 in Joe Cornish's "Attack The Block," Boyega's become a fan-favorite for the role in the last 24 hours. The actor left scorch marks on the screen in Joe Cornish's film as the 15-year-old mugger Moses, who discovers leadership and responsibility as his council estate is attacked by aliens, and the sheer charisma displayed swiftly got him Hollywood's attention. Spike Lee cast him as the lead in his HBO pilot "Da Brick," and while that wasn't picked up, he's been busy elsewhere and is currently shooting "Half Of A Yellow Sun," co-starring Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose and Thandie Newton, in Nigeria. He'd be a pretty powerful choice for the character, for sure. And from his Twitter feed yesterday, it sounds like he wants the part...
Why He Might Not: For one, he's very young, only 20 years old, and usually playing younger. That might suit the story Marvel wants to tell, but he's still nearly a decade shy of even his youngest potential "The Avengers" co-star. When "The Avengers 2" rolls around, would he be able to go toe-to-toe with Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo et al? "Attack The Block" was also principally a cult hit, and he's still virtually unknown to wider audiences, and for a film like "Black Panther," Marvel may want a more recognizable name.

Features

More: Features, Marvel, Black Panther, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, David Oyelowo, Chadwick Boseman

76 Comments

| Reply
Champ | May 13, 2013 8:49 PMReply

Drake? Oh no no no no no... oh no no no no no no... no no... no no no no!
Dean | April 29, 2013 12:07 PMReply

Jamie Foxx is already Electro though
Carie | January 28, 2013 12:02 PMReply

IDRIS ELBA Y'ALL!!! Stringer Bell would be and AWESOME Black Panther!
harry borthwick | January 26, 2013 12:21 PMReply

the one guy who i think would be best suited to this would be Jamie Foxx and if he can pull of a serious Wakonda ( African accent ) he would relish this role and after watching him in Django he has that hero factor you only get with the best actors
dylan | January 22, 2013 4:42 PMReply

I fell like Will Smith could pull it off, but i would definitely go with Djimon Hounsou. They should throw in Chris Rock &/or Eddie Murphy, not to play the Black Panther. All great action movies have comic relief characters.
Tevron | November 24, 2012 8:11 AMReply

Djimon Hounsou.
Jane Smith | November 21, 2012 11:06 AMReply

There's an amazing new actor called Elliot Knight, he played Sinbad in the UK series and would be amazing as Black Panther! Would be great to see a new face for a change.
Areff | November 12, 2012 1:55 AMReply

Djimon Hounsou or Michael Jay White.... non else
Austin | September 30, 2012 6:02 PMReply

I think Anthony Mackie could really do the job. he's charismatic and could be an action super hero. Also I think Tyrese Gibson would be a potential actor for that part. just a thought...
Daniel Miranda | September 15, 2012 9:07 PMReply

None of those are good the best actor to play Black Panther is Djimon Hounsou He's THE BEST
Rob Wheeler | September 11, 2012 7:24 AMReply

I think of the five mentioned in this article Chadwick Boseman is a good shout. My suggestion would be Taye Diggs.
Dany M. | September 15, 2012 9:08 PM

None of those are good the best actor to play Black Panther is Djimon Hounsou He's THE BEST
Lisa Barrett | September 4, 2012 6:54 PMReply

I think you guys should check out the guy from "A Medeas Christmas" Shannon Williams he played Bobby. He has the height, look and size.
Mike | September 3, 2012 4:28 PMReply

None of these convince me, I'd like to see Michael Jai White as the Black Panther, he would really kick some ass.
Joshua Cox | August 25, 2012 7:13 PMReply

Wakanda could be depicted realistically as one of many African nations exploited by U.S. foreign policy and corporations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLV9szEu9Ag
Lee | July 31, 2012 9:46 PMReply

I think Mitchell Adams should play Black Panther. He has the looks, the height and the talent.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1957987/
Tyrone Murphy | July 21, 2012 7:58 PMReply

What about Chris Tucker?
Te | November 13, 2012 11:53 AM

wtf? no
Phillip Hubbard | July 19, 2012 1:06 PMReply

The article only mentioned 4 actors...... Anyway, Michael Jai White is T'Challa all day. The charisma, the athleticism, and the overall presence make the obvious best choice. But then again, Marvel never makes the "obvious best choice" which makes them so good at what they do. Who thought Robert Downey Jr. was the best choice to don the armor of Iron Man. With that being said, he was perfect for the role.
Temi | July 18, 2012 6:21 PMReply

John Boyega!! He must take the lead now!!
Anthony | July 5, 2012 5:14 PMReply

Djimon Hounsou 15 years ago (roughly around the same time as Gladiator) would be perfect. Also, he PLAYED Black Panther in the motion comic series. I say take a slightly riskier route: we know Marvel would need to do an origin story with their characters but what if it were a reminiscing sort of thing. Hounsou can still play a mid-30 year old (hey, ask Jeremy Renner. He's in his 40's) so what if John Boyega played a Young T'Challa, learning his role and embracing the mantle and then Djimon playing present day T'Challa, around 32-35 years old?
Sam J | June 29, 2012 11:16 AMReply

I want idris alba to play him but otherwise Chadwick Boseman looks good as well.
Jomari Peterson | June 28, 2012 6:11 PMReply

I like Chiwetel Ejiofor, but where is Michael Jai White?
GARY P | June 26, 2012 4:05 PMReply

out of these five guys I would go with Chadwick Boseman, but if it were really up to me I would choose Aldis Hodge, he is 26 so he is young and has an athletic build, he could handle playing the role for years, and even for 26 he has a somewhat mature look to him and on one of the episodes of Leverage he did an African accent and I thought he pulled it off perfectly, the guy's got everything except for the star power

As for Mechad Brooks, I don't think he should play the Black panther, although I think he would make a great Falcon for the Captain America sequel
mike | June 26, 2012 12:17 PMReply

Dr Dre
ivan | June 22, 2012 4:33 PMReply

Terrance howard!!!!??
r.l | June 19, 2012 5:12 PMReply

What about Shemar Moore?
Prym | June 19, 2012 7:30 AMReply

How about Idris Elba
THE PHENOM | June 15, 2012 3:14 PMReply

i think michael jai white could play the black panther he's fit for the role and well known. these guys that were picked nobody knows who they are
zenophon ellensworth | June 15, 2012 3:11 PMReply

i think michael jai white could play black panther but who ever it is should be in good shape for the role and should be well known. these guys that were picked who knows who they are.
Connor | June 9, 2012 5:28 PMReply

Three really stand out as big choices. John Boyega, Chadwick Boseman & Anthony Mackie. I would go with either Boyega or Boseman mainly because they are young and have star potential. Potentially they could be big blockbuster stars if their career goes right.
Alayaya | June 9, 2012 11:09 AMReply

I would add Mehcad Brooks (from True Blood and USA's 'Necessary Roughness) to this list. Not such a great actor, but has an amazing athletic build. And has the boy to man look that would be good for the character.
Although, I do echo that having an actor with recent African roots would be most believable.
Stacy | June 9, 2012 1:40 AMReply

Dayo Okeniyi from the hungar games he might not be well known but neither was chris hemsworth alot of the other actors are good and all but most either look old or are old i also think John Boyega could really pull it off plus it doesn't hurt that he's kinda like a young denzel, Michael B. Jordan would be a cool choice also he has a wide resume ultimately i think these guys are young fresh faces that given the opportunity could really make something of this role!
AliKat | June 8, 2012 9:23 AMReply

I can't think of anyone better than Aldis Hodge for this part. On Leverage and other shows, he's posed as everything. He has an onscreen presence that is good for comedy or drama. I would love to see him interact with the Avengers someday! Not only is he a gorgeous man with a perfect body, but he is multi-talented with everything from stick-fighting to hockey. He's so versatile and has played everything from a gang member to a soldier to hacker who also grifts as everything from Saudi princes to African students to English business men all with spot-on accents. Next Marvel superhero? The Black Panther? He could totally rock that. :)
godzilla's foil | June 8, 2012 2:47 AMReply

Has got to be a man, not a boy. And awe-inspiring, since he's a king. And with an authentic African look, not just "some black dude". Since Idris Elba is already taken by Thor (and it's a damn shame, actually) and Djimon Hounsou is way too old for the part. Adewale looks more like the bad, menacing guy than the hero, but he should fit the requisites. Other than that, this site's suggestions are mostly not good, sorry.
triguous | June 8, 2012 12:06 AMReply

Rob Brown.
Joking11 | June 7, 2012 11:09 PMReply

Aldis Hodge, is a fabulous young but EXTREMELY talented actor. He co-stars on TNT's Leverage and has been in numerous other projects. He has great screen presence and has "grifted" as everything from a conspiracy nut to a Middle East Prince on Leverage. Marvel should definitely be looking at him.
Robert | June 7, 2012 4:10 PMReply

More important is their voice and demeanor. They need to be able to pull of the effortlessly 'Kingly' attitude. T'challa was always a king first, and a hero second.
Julia | June 7, 2012 3:55 PMReply

ALDIS HODGE?
Da5ID | June 7, 2012 3:43 PMReply

Well, it's obious: Rupert Everett. But you must change the name and call him THE PINK PANTHER!

MWAH-HAH-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sarah | June 7, 2012 2:31 PMReply

They should hire Jesse Williams: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2222264/
Kevin | June 7, 2012 11:17 PM

Is he black?
The Wisest One | June 7, 2012 12:58 PMReply

Kevin Hart would be a really bold choice that would be perfect. I think he can pull it off
cineman | June 7, 2012 12:22 PMReply

EJIOFOR all the way - those big soulful eyes make him a superstar hero in waiting
IDEASmi | June 8, 2012 4:42 AM

I agree all the way...
patrickswagze | June 7, 2012 12:18 PMReply

Idris is out since he was already in Thor! But I think DeRek Luke would a sound choice and Michael Jai white should have some role in it!
anna | June 7, 2012 7:47 AMReply

what about Aldis Hodge? hes proven to be a scene stealer in Leverage.
TheUniverse | June 7, 2012 3:46 AMReply

I watched the The Avengers and it was FREAKING AWESOME! I like them all but the Hulk/Bruce Banner STANDOUT among the rest. Mark Ruffalo did an AMAZING job and he gave JUSTICE to Hulk/Bruce Banner compared to the other 2 Hulk movies. Marvel and Disney made an EXCELLENT decision for giving the role to Mark Ruffalo. We NEED a new Hulk movie of Mark Ruffalo! WE NEED MORE!
BoB | June 7, 2012 12:29 AMReply

Here's I think would rock in the lead role as Black Panther.

1) John Boyega: He's the perfect age, can act, has the action chops, and has the ambition to make it big because he's young so he would be proving himself, and cause it's such an important role. Does BP graduate early in the comics? If so, even better.

2) Anthony Mackie: From what I have seen he's a great actor. I also think he has the right body type, maybe bulk up a tiny little bit. Plus his age is also pretty perfect for the role.

3) Chiwetel Ejiofor: He's a great actor no doubt. If you have seen his movies, and seen how he looks you can tell he's pretty much perfect for the role. One bad thing is his age, he might look to old for the part.

Djimon Hounsou should play Black Panthers father, T'Chaka. There's no doubt about this part imho. Does anyone disagree? He'd be the about the right age, can definitely act, and would be way to old for Panther himself. Though he could be Panther in the beginning you know, then he gets killed.
Christopher | June 13, 2012 3:36 AM

It's a shame that the movie wasn't made several years ago because Djimon Hounsou was born to play the role of the Black Panther. He has the acting ability, build, action background, dignity and of course no one can say he can't do a convincing African accent. With that being said I love your idea of him playing T'Chaka considering his age has passed up the opportunity of playing the son. Not quite as good as Black Panther himself but still perfect casting.
Dj | June 6, 2012 11:04 PMReply

michael b jordan is sooo the best fit plus i think it's time hollywood tries to find the the next denzel plus michael was thte heartof chronicle my second choice would be john boyega or even the guy who played thresh from hungar games dayo okeniyi he'd be really good
Lee | June 6, 2012 11:03 PMReply

Chiwetel Ejiofor or Anthony Mackie please, the world needs to know them more!
Kevin | June 6, 2012 10:07 PMReply

Quit naming half white actors for this part. There were a few on the list.
BRITTANY | June 6, 2012 5:24 PMReply

Dayo Okeniyi
Karl | June 6, 2012 2:01 PMReply

I hope this movie turns out well/succeeds box-office wise.

The hand wringing if it fails will be pretty uncomfortable.
CinematicESP | June 6, 2012 1:33 PMReply

Don't forget about Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who mentioned wanting the role a while back.
Indeed | June 6, 2012 1:08 PMReply

Will Smith should play the a very dark character as the black panther and it needs to be as violent as PG13 can get!...The studios will crush it if they can recruit Will.
Ibonix | June 6, 2012 12:33 PMReply

Drake, Michael Ealy, and Terrance Howard would make horrible choices seeing they're not dark enough. I mean come on, this is Africa we're talking about. Derek Luke and Idris Elba would both be Great. Maybe even Columbus Short. Djimon Hounsou is my favorite pick and Michael J. White but they're both too old.
Huffy | June 6, 2012 12:17 PMReply

Wow, Michael Jai White, Black Dynamite himself doesn't even get an honorable mention? Fiendish Oliver Lyttelton, you done fucked up now!
Mark | June 6, 2012 12:16 PMReply

Why not cast Djimon Hounsou, he is African after all, he's physcially capable of playing the part of T'Challa and is a brilliant actor.
Victoria Janssen | June 6, 2012 12:12 PMReply

In the animated Marvel Knights miniseries of Black Panther, Djimon Hounsou does his voice.

It has a great cast overall: http://ow.ly/boYoS
peaceseeker | June 6, 2012 12:07 PMReply

I would love to see Chiwetel tackle this. This would not be a one-dimensional, safe, run-a-the-mill hero type performance with him. He's so intense in all of the roles he plays -- the spark, fire, versatility this character needs would not be lacking in a Chiwetel Ejiofor performance. Believe that! For me he's definitely the best choice.
jaxom catt | June 6, 2012 12:05 PMReply

Andre 3000 would kick a** !!
Zack | June 6, 2012 12:04 PMReply

My vote is for Oyelowo, largely because it pisses me off that Hollywood refuses to cast African actors as African characters. I know he's not a big name at this point, but Marvel's become kind of a starmaker lately. I mean, before their respective movies, Hemsworth was known for killing one scene in one movie, Evans was a relatively established presence, but it wasn't as though anything in his record indicated he could open a movie, and even Robert Downey Jr. was way more of a respected ac-tor type than a star. Anything that gives him a boost (and being minor but highly noticeable in two big hits last year probably helped with that too) is fine by me.
Zack | June 8, 2012 1:14 AM

Oh, and there was an "uproar" when Elba was cast. It was spearheaded by self-described white supremacists. I don't know where the hell you've been if you missed that ridiculousness.
Zack | June 7, 2012 12:50 AM

The fact that you put white privilege in snark-quotes tells me all I need to know about you, Totally Not the Same Guy You're Defending. But hey, since there are so few good roles out there for white dudes, maybe you should pitch the inspirational story of how you overcame the oppression that was Stringer Bell playing Heimdall.
Kevin | June 6, 2012 10:18 PM

In response to what you posted below:

Quit whining about 'white privilege.' How do you even know he's white? The point he's trying to make is that it's a double standard. There was no uproar when Duncan and SLJ and Elba were cast but if the opposite happens the Internet would explode. And your Morgan Freeman example makes no sense because he was actually cast. I am not familiar with the Patterson books but is he explicitly described as AA? I imagine he is; therefore, since Freeman was cast, the Internet did not explode.

And what is this complaint about available roles for AA actors? No one is stopping writers/directors from creating these roles. If you want to complain about the system 'oppressing' black cinema or something analogous to that, then that would be typical.
Zack | June 6, 2012 12:05 PM

Oh, fuck me, never mind, Oyelowo's British. Good God, I'm a moron.
That said, I'd still be fine with him being cast, for the reasons above.
eowyn | June 6, 2012 11:59 AMReply

As much as I want a Dr. Strange Movie I will have soooo much RESPECT on Marvel if this will push through. Solo Movie, ASAP!
PRESIDENT MAO | June 6, 2012 11:52 AMReply

Brad Pitt!

I'm utterly serious. If Idris Elba can be Heimdal and Michael Clarke Duncan was Kingpin THEN there's no fucking reason Brad Pitt or Ryan Gosling can be Black Panther. Why are you looking at me like I am crazy? What are you? A racist?
Ibonix | June 6, 2012 12:38 PM

What Zack said. And to snowball on top of that, why would a white guy play a black icon? A character soley created to appeal to the black demographic. How would they even write that elephant into the room? Well put Zack.
Marko | June 6, 2012 12:14 PM

Yes there is a reason as to why Brad Pitt wouldn't play him. He's too old and too expensive.
Zack | June 6, 2012 11:58 AM

Yes, the two situations are completely analogous. I mean, it's not as though there are way, WAY more roles available for white actors, and most black actors are only sought for roles that are specifically black whereas white actors are the default setting (and even that doesn't always work- before Morgan Freeman was cast, James Patterson said that suits were talking to him about casting a white guy as Alex Cross). I'm not entirely sure if you're trolling or just drowning in your cluelessness and white privilege, but either way, I'm really happy you stopped by to enlighten us.
Ben | June 6, 2012 11:46 AMReply

How about Donald Glover?
Christopher M. | June 6, 2012 11:44 AMReply

I usually love this site's casting suggestions, this one is no exception... great actors here, my vote goes to Anthony Mackie and David Oyelowo...Marvel Studios' films might have issues but their casting is mostly on the money.. Derek Luke had some of my moments in Captain America..if they hire someone half as good as him we'll be getting one unique superhero film for sure!
rob | June 8, 2012 5:41 PM

ROB BROWN , DAVID AGBODJI , ALIMI BALLARD .