Former showrunner behind X-Men 97 implies there was a mandate against using [SPOILER]

[Lifejumper]

X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo stated in a post on X that he can't comment on T'Chaka being chosen as the show's Black Panther due to an NDA, even though T'Challa held that role in Fantastic Four: The Animated Series, which is set in the same continuity.

No official source has confirmed this mandate, but DeMayo has been transparent in answering fan questions on X.

If true, I feel Marvel Studios is taking the respectful angle of Chadwick Boseman's passing too far, leaning into the erasure of a culturally important character.

 

[Sanjuro]

🤡

I can't really imagine having a film that successful, set up for branding, and then just throwing it all away.

 

[CharlesAznable]

Absolutely ridiculous if true. Especially considering in other media that isn't the case.

 

[Pluto]

I was against not recasting T'Challa in the MCU, killing off the character because of Chadwick Boseman's tragic death was a mistake but this is a non issue in my opinion, it was a small cameo and T'Chaka ist just as valid to use as T'Challa.

And of course this is all conjecture, we don't know if there was a mandate, maybe the reason is they want to introduce T'Challa properly in a later season and didn't want to pick a voice actor while recording the first.

 

[Vomiaouaf]

Hell yeah. Let's spoil fun surprises from season finales released 2 DAYS AGO really casually in thread titles. Fuck me for not watching things RIGHT AWAY right?

 

[Shig]

My read was more that they might have tentative plans somewhere in the pipeline for a BP animated project set in modern day, so setting up his dad as BP in '97 would dovetail with the timeline in that if it happened.

But it's entirely possible that it's the other thing.

 

[Burt]

Yeah, it's too far, but with how much everything over there seems to be in flux, they're probably just being as conservative as possible with it until things have settled. A "We can do literally anything else and not have to deal with potential problems down the line, so... let's."

I haven't watched '97 and so I don't know what continuity it is or how/if it's going to fold into the eventual MCU or other animated/live action projects,

but also im pretty sure they dont either

 

[sfedai0]

I didnt even know who T'Chaka is. I jsut assumed that was T'Challa

 

[luca]

I was against not recasting T'Challa in the MCU, killing off the character because of Chadwick Boseman's tragic death was a mistake but this is a non issue in my opinion, it was a small cameo and T'Chaka ist just as valid to use as T'Challa.

And of course this is all conjecture, we don't know if there was a mandate, maybe the reason is they want to introduce T'Challa properly in a later season and didn't want to pick a voice actor while recording the first.

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My read was more that they might have tentative plans somewhere in the pipeline for a BP animated project set in modern day, and showing his dad as BP in '97 would dovetail with the timeline in that if it happened.

But it's entirely possible that it's the other thing.

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But in this continuity T'Chaka has been dead for more than a decade. T'Challa is the Black Panther. So it makes no sense that T'Chaka is suddenly back as king of Wakanda.

 

[9wilds]

Hell yeah. Let's spoil fun surprises from season finales released 2 DAYS AGO really casually in thread titles. Fuck me for not watching things RIGHT AWAY right?

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No kidding. Absolutely unacceptable.

 

[entremet]

I didnt even know who T'Chaka is. I jsut assumed that was T'Challa

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T'Challa's father and previous Black Panther.

I'm going to be charitable and assume it was due to the 90s Marvel's continuity. Wasn't T'Chaka the BP around that time?

 

[Shig]

But in this continuity T'Chaka has been dead for more than a decade. T'Challa is the Black Panther. So it makes no sense that T'Chaka is suddenly back as king of Wakanda.

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I wouldn't really assume that the X-men '97 team is treating every Marvel Power Hour thing as incontrovertible canon.

 

[The Hobo]

X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo stated in a post on X that he can't comment on T'Chaka being chosen as the show's Black Panther due to an NDA, even though T'Challa held that role in Fantastic Four: The Animated Series, which is set in the same continuity.

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They're not in the same continuity.

 

[Wrexis]

The decision to retire T'Challa was an emotional one that made sense at the time. I don't blame Feige for doing it, the entire team was close to Boseman apparently. But these sort of things should be revisited as time goes by.

We've had multiple actors for Star Wars characters where the actors have died. Same for Star Trek, Harry Potter, and many others. It's just life.
They shouldn't be retired forever.

They're not in the same continuity.

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I think they're trying to make most of the 90s series into the same continuity.

 

[Trup1aya]

I just binged the show this morning. I didn't even realize it was not T'challa… in this instance I feel like it would have been fine either way, but I don't understand breaking the continuity in order to avoid using the character.

That said, I didn't even realize these shows were all supposed to be in the same continuity.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I think they're trying to make most of the 90s series into the same continuity.

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There's really no indication the 90s Iron Man show is in this continuity, and the 90s FF show was connected to Iron Man, not X-Men/Spidey.

EDIT: I looked into it deeper and wow, it's actually more complicated than that - the Fantastic Four (and Panther) crossed over with the 90s HULK show, not the Iron Man show.

 

[Pluto]

But in this continuity T'Chaka has been dead for more than a decade. T'Challa is the Black Panther. So it makes no sense that T'Chaka is suddenly back as king of Wakanda.

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So? T'Challa only ever appeared in one episode of Fantastic Four which many people either haven't seen or aren't aware that it's technically in the same continuity. The new show can easily ignore that, they should not be bound to decisions made by a production decades ago that was barely connected to X-Men TAS.

They're not in the same continuity.

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Both X-Men and Fantactic Four crossed over with Spider-Man, so you could make the argument that they are the same continuity. There's some wiggle room because the FF only appeared in the Secret Wars story and could be from a different universe but they are heavily implied to be from from Spider-man's earth if I remember correctly.
But at the end of the day it doesn't really matter because nobody cares for the FF cartoon or anything else marvel did in the 90s that wasn't Spider-Man or X-Men, those two are the only ones that had any impact on pop culture.

 

[entremet]

The decision to retire T'Challa was an emotional one that made sense at the time. I don't blame Feige for doing it, the entire team was close to Boseman apparently. But these sort of things should be revisited as time goes by.

We've had multiple actors for Star Wars characters where the actors have died. Same for Star Trek, Harry Potter, and many others. It's just life.
They shouldn't be retired forever.



I think they're trying to make most of the 90s series into the same continuity.

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I said it then and I'll say it today. It was way too kneejerk to make such a unilateral decision like that. He should've hedged his bets and say that the character will be retired for "some time" while they process the grief.

I really hated that decision.

Especially since it removes an opportunity for a black lead.

 

[Trey]

not enough there for me to read much into it. until BP has an expanded and/or critical role, I won't fuss about who's BP or not, and why.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I said it then and I'll say it today. It was way too kneejerk to make such a unilateral decision like that. He should've hedged his bets and say that the character will be retired for "some time" while they process the grief.

I really hated that decision.

Especially since it removes an opportunity for a black lead.

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Agreed. At this point now it feels like we're just expected to tank there being no Panther at all for a decade or more.

 

[JusDoIt]

If there's a T'Chaka, there's a T'Challa. I don't know why folks are making a big deal of this.

 

[The Hobo]

Both X-Men and Fantactic Four crossed over with Spider-Man, so you could make the argument that they are the same continuity. There's some wiggle room because the FF only appeared in the Secret Wars story and could be from a different universe but they are heavily implied to be from from Spider-man's earth if I remember correctly.

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According to Marvel, Spider-Man TAS and X-Men TAS officially take place on the same Earth.

Fantastic Four, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk all take place on a different Earth.

 

[Pluto]

According to Marvel, Spider-Man TAS and X-Men TAS officially take place on the same Earth.

Fantastic Four, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk all take place on a different Earth.

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Good, I have no problem with that but I wonder if that was always the case or if that was a retcon after they realized X-Men and Spider-man are the only popular ones.

 

[The Hobo]

Good, I have no problem with that but I wonder if that was always the case or if that was a retcon after they realized X-Men and Spider-man are the only popular ones.

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I don't think they cared back in the day. They would have crossovers here and there between the shows but I doubt each studio was keeping track of the events in other shows to ensure they lined up as evidenced by the continuity issues that some of the shows have.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I don't think they cared back in the day. They would have crossovers here and there between the shows but I doubt each studio was keeping track of the events in other shows to ensure they lined up as evidenced by the continuity issues that some of the shows have.

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They almost definitely didn't. The realities of TV and animation production meant that outside of concentrated, SPECIFIC crossover episodes that were heavily linked up on purpose, the production teams were almost definitely not talking to each other much at all.

There was no "90s Marvel animated universe".

 

[Broseph]

Not gonna lie, it is odd to me that every Black Panther media being planned is using people other than T'Challa from the upcoming game to now this. I def think there is something to this now.

 

[Principate]

There's really no indication the 90s Iron Man show is in this continuity, and the 90s FF show was connected to Iron Man, not X-Men/Spidey.

EDIT: I looked into it deeper and wow, it's actually more complicated than that - the Fantastic Four (and Panther) crossed over with the 90s HULK show, not the Iron Man show.

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It wasn't? I never watched the 90's fantastic 4, but doom was the villain in secret wars in Spiderman which included both the X-men and the fantastic 4. Unless that was a different fantastic 4.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

It wasn't? I never watched the 90's fantastic 4, but doom was the villain in secret wars in Spiderman which included both the X-men and the fantastic 4. Unless that was a different fantastic 4.

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Apparently only one F4 actor was the same from the animated show and all the rest were recast. So it's probably just a different set.

 

[Shopolic]

It seems the person who made that choice is here!

 

[Ishmael]

The idea that T'Challa is not being allowed in any media is an absurd overreaction to Boseman's passing. However, the silver lining here is that the ill-advised T'Challa/Ororo pairing will never infect the MCU or any other adaptation.

 

[Tathanen]

Y'all are really extrapolating an enormous amount from this guy saying he can't comment, this thread is basically fanfiction. There's some reason, we don't know what it is, that's about all there is to say.

 

[Lifejumper]

Y'all are really extrapolating an enormous amount from this guy saying he can't comment, this thread is basically fanfiction. There's some reason, we don't know what it is, that's about all there is to say.

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Deadpool was off-limits too. Another studio mandate.

X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Says Deadpool Was 'Off-Limits', Explains Why the Avengers Aren't Around

X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Says Deadpool Was ‘Off-Limits’, Explains Why the Avengers Aren’t Around - IGN

Ahead of the release of the X-Men '97 Season 1 finale, creator Beau DeMayo has answered a series of questions on X / Twitter about the whereabouts of certain Marvel characters, including The Avengers.

ign.com

Its not farfetched to think T'Challa was off limits too.

 

[Tathanen]

Deadpool was off-limits too. Another studio mandate.

X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Says Deadpool Was 'Off-Limits', Explains Why the Avengers Aren't Around

X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Says Deadpool Was ‘Off-Limits’, Explains Why the Avengers Aren’t Around - IGN

Ahead of the release of the X-Men '97 Season 1 finale, creator Beau DeMayo has answered a series of questions on X / Twitter about the whereabouts of certain Marvel characters, including The Avengers.

ign.com

Its not farfetched to think T'Challa was off limits too.

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I guess what I mean to say here is that being off limits doesn't mean it's still due to some kind of Chadwick Boseman honorary situation, that's obviously not what's going on with Deadpool. There are dozens of possible reasons, and I think it's fine to speculate, but people are kind of getting bent out of shape assuming that one of those reasons is right with no real basis.

 

[Foot]

Sometimes people tell stories that are slightly different than what you expect, and that is okay.

 

[entremet]

The idea that T'Challa is not being allowed in any media is an absurd overreaction to Boseman's passing. However, the silver lining here is that the ill-advised T'Challa/Ororo pairing will never infect the MCU or any other adaptation.

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Lol

 

[Smokeymicpot]

It's dumb. Should have been re-casted for Black Panther 2.

 

[Psamtik]

It's still absolutely baffling that they decided to retire a character who was clearly positioned to fill the linchpin character void left when RDJ and Evans departed the franchise.

There are so many wonderful actors who could've carried that baton.

 

[thisismadness]

To be fair, the Black Panther in Marvel Rivals is TChalla. Xmen 97 was announced back in 2021 and the EA game likely started development around the same time. I dont know that theres any solid evidence that the character is still offlimits today. (beyond the MCU)

 

[Autumn]

Not recasting was a huge mistake.

 

[Watchtower]

Yeah no fuck this, it was fine with Wakanda Forever because y'know live-action movie he was previously in and all that but I loathe the idea of burying T'Challa the character with him as some sort of "honor". What, we finally get a major black superhero on the big screen and his actor tragically passing means that character gets taken back away? Fuuuuuuuuuck that.

They almost definitely didn't. The realities of TV and animation production meant that outside of concentrated, SPECIFIC crossover episodes that were heavily linked up on purpose, the production teams were almost definitely not talking to each other much at all.

There was no "90s Marvel animated universe".

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There's gonna be a looooooooot of people you're gonna need to tell that to. 😂

Not gonna lie, it is odd to me that every Black Panther media being planned is using people other than T'Challa from the upcoming game to now this. I def think there is something to this now.

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Marvel Rivals looks to be skirting away from it, thank God. Not only is that game's Black Panther explicitly T'Challa but from lore stuff it's him post-Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda.

 

[mreddie]

If there's a T'Chaka, there's a T'Challa. I don't know why folks are making a big deal of this.

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Because T'Challa should be in the universe already as BP.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MHT5IYvDBs

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Because T'Challa should be in the universe already as BP.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MHT5IYvDBs

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There is no shared universe across all six of those 90s shows. The only 100% confirmed crossover was the Spidey/X-Men crossover which was heavily marketed as exactly that, an event crossover between those two specific shows.

It's RIDICULOUSLY RESTRICTIVE for the writers of X-Men 97 to be beholden to a bunch of background cameos from shows three or four shows removed from the original series they're following up on, with no clear narrative ties that need to be respected.

 

[ArgyleReptile]

I wouldn't be surprised. Wakanda Forever was understandable, but Marvel actions towards the character has been exceedingly odd beyond that situation for a couple years now.

It really seemed like Marvel was primed to put T'Challa on ice across all media until very recently. His previous comic run by John Ridley definitely seemed to have been building to the retirement of the character.

 

[Bengraven]

There is no shared universe across all six of those 90s shows. The only 100% confirmed crossover was the Spidey/X-Men crossover which was heavily marketed as exactly that, an event crossover between those two specific shows.

It's RIDICULOUSLY RESTRICTIVE for the writers of X-Men 97 to be beholden to a bunch of background cameos from shows three or four shows removed from the original series they're following up on, with no clear narrative ties that need to be respected.

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Agreed. It's this kind of nitpicking that draws the fun out of things. Who cares about a tiny moment that might twist continuity - hell, 97 already had a few things that didn't match up with the original show's continuity anyway despite some super super deep cuts.

 

[Crashman]

I wonder if it is plans on trying to make a BP show or something along those lines. And if so they may want to go through T'Challa's origins and what not. Marvel Rivals is T'Challa, when otherwise they could have easily enough switch it to T'Chaka, so I'm not sure if its a recasting thing.

But yeah, it otherwise comes off as very odd considering every other character seems to be in the state they would have been in the 90s

 

[Yonafunu]

Where's the implication? I'm only seeing a tweet saying the equivalent of "no comment".

For the record, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case, but it could also just be them having specific plans for the character.

 

[Metal Gear?!]

There is no shared universe across all six of those 90s shows. The only 100% confirmed crossover was the Spidey/X-Men crossover which was heavily marketed as exactly that, an event crossover between those two specific shows.

It's RIDICULOUSLY RESTRICTIVE for the writers of X-Men 97 to be beholden to a bunch of background cameos from shows three or four shows removed from the original series they're following up on, with no clear narrative ties that need to be respected.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the crossovers between Marvel 90s shows were a mess, as sometimes they had entirely different designs or entirely different takes on the same characters voiced by different actors


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TObLeQ5r5Co

So does it matter if T'Challa showed up in Fantastic Four? Who knows!

 

[Aurizen]

This is a different universe and year, so it should be T'Challa.

 

[MadDogTannen]

It's incredibly stupid

 

[Volimar]

I think people are jumping to conclusions. That's not the first thing that Beau has said he can't speak about, much of it going into next season. I think it's a leap to say it's still because of Boseman's death when it can just as easily be covered under an NDA from his firing or a future project they want to build up or maybe they have plans in Season 2 that will include T'Challa becoming BP (though that's more of an Avengers seed).

I'm certainly not going to get upset about what amounted to a cameo and a comment with no context.