Marvel’s Black Panther is now an unprecedented success story, having topped both Jurassic World and Frozen at the domestic and global box office (respectively). Suffice to say, it will go down as one of the most successful movies of 2018 – at least until Avengers: Infinity War arrives.
Videos by ComicBook.com
With Black Panther now a cultural milestone, Marvel fans have begun having fun with the “What If?” side of things, and one of those speculative discussions has become a bonafide trend on social media. Marvel fans have been dropping their fan-casts for the Black Panther movie that almost came together in the 1990s – and the results are pretty great!
The Singing Queen
Wesley Snipes as T’challa, Regina King as Nakia, Jada Pickett as Shuri, Mekhi Phifer as W’kabi, Dawn Lewis as Okoye, Bokeem Woodbine as Killmonger, Paul Giomatti as the white guy, Patti LaBelle as T’challa’s mom, https://t.co/oN9eO7r3QD
— ava hoodVernay (@_ebonibee) April 4, 2018
This list is solid – especially the notion of famed singer Patti LaBelle as Queen Ramonda
Colonizer Hanks
Tom Hanks as Special Agent Ross
— Chopped Cheese Papí (@RobCassahnova) April 4, 2018
Eddie Murphy as W’Kabi
Lawerence Fishbourne as Zuri
Isaiah Washington as N’Jobu
Halle Berry as Nakia
Jamie Foxx as Kilmonger
Will Smith as T’Challa
Angela Bassit as Okoye
Jada Pinket as Shuri
Morgan Freeman as T’Chaka
Nichelle Smith as Ramonda https://t.co/pZWLXxQdAN
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett top a lot of these fan cast lists – probably due to the fact that they are now a couple. However, this list’s biggest highlight is the nomination of Tom Hanks as Everett Ross. Martin Freeman played the ‘token white guy’ role well, but Hanks would’ve definitely been a scene-stealer!
Okoye’s Grace
Grace Jones would have been okoye
— jauan jones (@jauan_jones) April 4, 2018
’80s action icon and former Bond girl Grace Jones is the only pick ofr a ’90s version of Okoye, in our mind!
The Fresh Princess of Wakanda
Tatyana Ali as Shuri #90sBlackPanther
— Jerry Rozier (@BostonJerry) April 4, 2018
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tayana Ali would’ve been a plucky and cute Shuri, for sure. Since a lot of lists included Will Smith as T’Challa, this would’ve been a great casting carryover from one of the most popular TV shows of the time.
Prides of Wakanda
90s Black Panther would have Michael Jai White as M’Baku
— de bleck penta (@fivefifths) April 4, 2018
James Earl Jones as Zuri
— de bleck penta (@fivefifths) April 4, 2018
For Wakanda’s more traditionalist cultural figures, fans had a wide range of nominees. However, Spawn and Black Dynamite star Michael Jai White as M’Baku is pretty spot-on.
For The Man Who Is In Everything…
Bokeem Woodbine as any of the damn male characters from the hero to the villain to a henchman…90s was a strange time this mofo was in errything #90sBlackPanther pic.twitter.com/2TEy2rqkk2
— Δlt► ₸iməline ℍ Ⱥ Π Ķ ↹ (@hanx3sports) April 4, 2018
Indeed, actor Bokeem Woodbine shows up all over these fan-cast lists in different roles (Killmonger, W’Kabi, M’Baku…), which is very fitting. As the tweet says, in the ’90s, Woodbine popped up all over the screen – and still does to this day!
The Cooler Klaw
And Patrick Swayze as Klaw
— Only Judge Can Judge Me (@TheVoice30) April 4, 2018
Roadhouse‘s legendary cooler Patrick Swayze would’ve been a great pick a Ulysses Klaue – especially if we got zany Point Break-style Swayze in the performance.
Another One…
Fun Thread. Let’s do 90s Captain America. Who plays Cap, Bucky, Fury, Black Widow and Falcon? https://t.co/al1kziMQwu
— Don Richard (@DonaldRichard) April 4, 2018
Now that we’ve cast the ’90s Black Panther, let’s talk about that Captain America ’90s flick, tho….
*****
Who would you cast in a ’90s Black Panther movie? Do you have any other ’90s Marvel movie you would want to fan cast? Let us know in the comments!
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is now playing in theaters. Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27, 2018. It is followed by Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.