Marvel Had Plans For a Star Lord T’Challa Show
Following the finale of Marvel’s animated series What If...?, series director Bryan Andrews has revealed that the studio was planning on developing a new spinoff show starring Chadwick Boseman as Star Lord T’Challa. In Episode 2, audiences were introduced to this hybrid character, who was portrayed by Boseman in his final voice-over role before losing his battle with colon cancer in August of 2020.
What If...?'s nine episodes delve into the corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, offering a glimpse at different scenarios tucked away in the multiverse. Each episode’s title sets up the premise, such as, “What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” and “What If... Thor Were An Only Child?” The second episode, “What If... T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” sees Boseman’s Black Panther role fused with Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, displaying traits of both characters. Boseman enjoyed the experience so much, he was planning on infusing his future T'Challa performances with some of Star-Lord’s nuances.
In an interview with Variety, Andrews spoke on the creative team's collaboration with Boseman when recording the voices for What If...? “Chadwick had recorded his Star Lord T’Challa stuff early. But we had those later episodes that he appeared in sporadically, and it was a long stretch before we got him [again]. And it was not long after the final recording that he passed,” explained Andrews. “I think it was maybe just a few months, or a month. None of us knew, obviously. But we got him in time to have everything.”
Andrews emphasized Boseman’s continued dedication to the role, and his interest in exploring Star Lord T’Challa. “I don’t know if he knew this, but there was planning to have Star Lord T’Challa spin off into his own show with that universe and crew. We were all very excited. We know he would have loved it, too. And then, you know, he passed, and so all that’s in limbo. So, who knows? Maybe one day.”
All nine episodes of What If...? are streaming on Disney+ now. If you don't have a Disney+ subscription, you can sign up here.