4 months after confirming an NDA prevented him speaking up, X-Men ’97 creator Beau De Mayo has finally addressed why the critically acclaimed Marvel show used King T’Chaka instead of T’Challa. The decision was met with confusion around the Marvel timeline and some criticism from Marvel fans who believed Chadwick Boseman’s legacy should have been honored more directly.
De Mayo has now taken to X.com to defend the decision to use T’Chaka rather than his son, after an X-Men ’97 fan asked him for the thinking behind it. When asked “Can you tell us why Black Panther was T’Chaka and not T’Challa?”, he responded: “I don’t know why Marvel had certain directors trying to spin and lie about this but we produced X-Men 97 Season 1 in early 2021. The loss of Boseman weighed heavily on the studio, as well as on me as a black man. Felt too soon to do T’Challa. Put humanity before continuity.”
Back in May, De Mayo was asked the same question, and said only “sadly NDA” in response. He has since been involved in a high-profile conflict with Marvel after his removal as creator, hitting back at accusations leveled at his conduct.
What Beau DeMayo’s Black Panther Answer Means For X-Men ’97
What X-Men ’97’s Other Creatives Said About T’Chaka’s Appearance
Beau De Mayo was very vocal on X.com around X-Men ’97‘s release, revealing behind-the-scenes facts and story details, and engaging with the fandom who reacted so well to the animated revival. Since then, the tone has shifted quite dramatically, and it’s telling that his latest update accuses Marvel of having directors lie about the decision to use T’Challa. Another reply to his tweet doubled down on the fact when another commenter challenged the decision as disrespectful to T’Challa as a character:
“As I said, at the time, it didn’t feel right. Just a matter of respect. If it were today, I think the choice would may be different. Either way, trying to spin it as something other than what it was makes no sense to me.”
In the wake of T’Chaka’s appearance, X-Men ’97 supervising director was asked why T’Chaka’s version of Black Panther was used despite T’Challa appearing in Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (which was also confirmed as the same continuity as X-Men ’97). He didn’t say anything to particularly contradict De Mayo, but did offer clarity on the timelines:
“I will elaborate on as much of it as I can. Some of the Black Panther of it all are definitely closed doors conversations that I wasn’t privy to. That was definitely in Beau and the executives’ realm. But for us, there’s always multiple timelines right there. There’s always a one off. ‘This is exactly how I like it, except for that one thing.
So, who’s to say what timeline is the right timeline, the proper timeline? I mean, y’all aren’t ready for how we’re gonna **** you up in season two. At the end, we tease it at the end of 10. We’re gonna have to elaborate on that.”
The source of the deceptive comments De Mayo points out Marvel “span” after X-Men ’97‘s release are a little unclear, in that regard.
Our Take On T’Challa’s Involvement In X-Men ’97 Over T’Challa
Respect Is Important (For Both Sides Of The Debate)
In terms of De Mayo’s comments on “humanity before continuity”, the wrinkle for some around T’Chaka is that his appearance contradicts both Fantastic Four: TAS’s take on the character, and X-Men ’97’s own lore. X-Men: The Animated Series’ Larry Houston spoke to THR and confirmed that T’Challa was the Black Panther in TAS:
“We had two X-Men episodes in Africa, one with Storm’s mutant godchild and the other with Magneto gathering up mutants to take them to his mutant sanctuary Asteroid M. I was able to include the Black Panther into the show whenever they were in Africa, which some sharp-eyed fans were able to spot.”
The quote above doesn’t name T’Challa, but the full interview does. That obviously raises the question of why T’Chaka is Black Panther in X-Men ’97, but De Mayo is right: sometimes, it’s a matter of doing what feels right at the time. When X-Men ’97 headed into production in 2021, Chadwick Boseman’s death was still very recent, and the movement among Black Panther fans to recast T’Challa only gathered pace more recently.
It is certainly important to honor both honor the actor’s legacy and that of the Marvel character, but when it comes to appropriately memorializing someone, creatives should be empowered to make decisions they feel are right. Fan pressure cannot determine those outcomes.
