Does T'Challa have a son in the comics? Exploring details amidst Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's original plot reveal

Does T
Does T'Challa have a child in the comics? (Images via Getty Images, Marvel Studios and Marvel Comics)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sees Shuri take on the mantle of the Black Panther as the movie shows T'Challa dying in the early few minutes of the film. Although this was no easy decision to make, considering Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away in 2020, there has been no other way to make this narrative move on other than to have a different direction in place.

However, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finds a way to immortalize T'Challa through the introduction of Toussaint, his son whom he had with Nakia. Played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun, Toussaint was revealed in the post-credits of the film. With Ryan Coogler revealing what the original plan for the film has been, it has got fans wondering whether T'Challa ever really had a son in the comics.

Hence, let's dive deep into it and break down what the original plan for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been all along.


Ryan Coogler had initially wanted a father-son story for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

To answer this in short, T'Challa doesn't have a son in the comics, at least in the main continuity. He has always maintained a relationship with Storm, yet he didn't bear any children even after the mantle of Black Panther was passed on from him to Shuri.

While not in the main continuity, T'Challa ends up having a son named Azari T'Challa in another universe. Being the child of him and Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, he is a mutant who also has the powers of a Black Panther. Born during Ultron's revolution, he also takes up the mantle of the Black Panther in the comics.

Considering he and Toussaint aren't similar in any way, it does not make much sense to have them as the same characters. With Toussaint's reveal in Wakanda Forever's post-credit scene and also having the Wakandan name of T'Challa, it feels like Marvel is gearing up to make him the next Black Panther once Shuri retires.

This makes sense, given what director Ryan Coogler recently shared about his original plans for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Before his passing, Chadwick Boseman was going to headline the sequel, but Coogler had said T'Challa would be joined by his son, Toussaint, as well.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was originally meant to be a father-son story that would have seen T'Challa try to connect with Toussaint. Considering T'Challa was one of the few who got blipped by Thanos, it would have seen him come back. It would have seen them both spend the summer together. However, with the arrival of Namor, both of them would have to fight the oncoming threat.

That particular story would have seen Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina have a larger role as well, considering it would be a three-way conflict between the United States, Wakanda, and Talokan. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that.

However, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still a story that honed in on the themes of grief and trauma really well. At the same time, the film brilliantly executed Chadwick's legacy.

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