In 1966, Fantastic Four no. 52 was released. In that comic book, industry legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created a new character. T’Challa was the king of fictional African country Wakanda and, enhanced by superpowers, fought Wakanda’s enemies under the name Black Panther.

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January 30, 2026 - 14:05 UTC

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In 1992, Wesley Snipes announced plans to star as the lead in a Black Panther film adaptation. Mario Van Peebles and John Singleton were mooted as potential directors but the project stalled when Executive Producer Stan Lee said the scripts weren’t up to scratch.

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In 2008, the MCU launched with the release of Iron Man. Snipes was still in the running play Black Panther until 2009, when personal issues interfered and he was no longer available. In 2011, documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey wrote a script but Marvel didn’t progress it.

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