Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer Jeffrey Wright knows all as the voice of Uatu the Watcher in What If…?, and the actor knows it’s going to be something special when fans hear late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman‘s final performance as T’Challa. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige previously revealed Boseman recorded multiple episodes of the animated series before dying of colon cancer in August 2020, making What If…? the last time the actor would play King T’Challa of Wakanda. The new series, premiering August 11 on Disney+, asks “what if” T’Challa became the legendary outlaw Star-Lord of Guardians of the Galaxy fame?
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“I was really moved to hear Chadwick Boseman voice T’Challa again as he does in the show,” Wright told EW. “I actually first met him when Black Panther was being introduced at Comic-Con. We saw each other from time to time after that and just to watch him grow as an actor and watch him take on this character, to see what that character meant, and to understand that he was doing that while facing serious challenges, I just find to be on the level of heroism that Black Panther himself is on.”
“So to be a part of just a little bit of what some of his last work is is really special,” Wright added. “And I can’t wait for folks to just hear him.”
Feige previously told Emmy Magazine that Marvel Studios’ first animated series lets the studio tell “all sorts of stories we couldn’t explore through live-action.” That includes having a T’Challa Star-Lord voiced by Boseman, who “came in about four times and recorded numerous episodes,” Feige said, adding that “in hindsight, it’s very moving.”
In 2019, What If…? head writer Ashley Bradley told Discussing Film that the mashup between the two franchises came about because “we wanted to see what if the worlds of Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy collided? That was taking two universes, two to three movies, kind of twisting them in new ways.”
As the all-knowing Uatu the Watcher, Wright voices a character who oversees a vast Multiverse that will reveal such characters as Captain Carter (voice of Hayley Atwell, reprising her role from the Captain America trilogy), Heist Nebula (voice of Karen Gillan, reprising her Guardians of the Galaxy role), Doctor Strange Supreme, and Zombie Hunter Spider-Man.
“What If…?” flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Coming to Disney+ August 11, Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles. The series is directed by Bryan Andrews; Ashley Bradley is head writer.
Marvel’s What If…? premieres August 11 on Disney+.
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