There is little doubt that the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever mid-credits scene is seen as one of the best additional scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to wrapping up loose ends in the film itself, the scene shed light on the future of the franchise. However, it looks like we could have seen so much more of the surprise character introduced in the scene. Co-writer Joe Robert Cole revealed that the new character originally played a larger role in the MCU sequel.
In the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever mid-credits scene, Nakia introduces Shuri to her son Toussaint, revealing that he is the son of T'Challa. She explains that the king wanted the boy to be raised in Haiti, away from the pressure of the throne.
We love how Toussaint, whose Wakandan name is also T'Challa, simply stole the scene with his charming cameo. However, an earlier version of the film, written before Chadwick Boseman's death actually featured more of the boy.
Joe Robert Cole recently spoke to Rolling Stone about Black Panther 2 where he revealed how the original 2020 screenplay would have focused on the two T'Challas.
"Yeah, [in] a previous iteration, we really were more child-focused in the narrative, and his son was a part of that," Cole said. "Obviously that changed, but we wanted him to exist in the film in some way. It was much more reduced."
He continued, "There were conversations about, when do we reveal this information to the audience, and what’s the best version of it? Not only emotionally, but just narratively for the story and how it affects the characters in the story when they find out this information, and so forth. We played around a little bit, but he was never going to have a much larger presence after Chad passed."
It's unfortunate that we never got to see the older T'Challa interacting with Toussaint. Still, we're happy that the child is now part of the MCU and we're hoping to see more of him in the future.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now screening in theaters worldwide.
Related: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Producer Says Namor is The Hero, Not The Villain
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