r/marvelstudios • u/JustAThinkingGuy7 • 18h ago
Discussion It still baffles me that Marvel didn't use Djimon Honsou in any of the Black Panthers
I can understand not using him as THE Black Panther since he's getting older but not casting him in any role at all for either movie??. The King's Man (which I believe came out after) showed that bro was still pretty agile. And yea he had that little role in Guardians of the Galaxy but they bring back the actors for different roles all the time. Just crazy to me they didn't use him at all.
EDIT: A lot of y'all came in here with some extremely ignorant comments. Thank you to the people that actually use what's between your ears.
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u/ptleruuh 18h ago
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u/Badvevil 18h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/UNiTh1W6H5wnC
These things maybe?•
u/MaderaArt 18h ago
DIGIMON, DIGITAL MONSTERS!
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u/hoorah9011 18h ago
Love digimon. They make Pokémon look like a bag of dicks
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u/MaxReb0 18h ago
Ah! You’re a fellow man of culture, I see
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u/AphexAffectsEffects 18h ago
He is literally the voice of BP in the animated series and it’s so good. I would have preferred him as Ta’Chaka, although the actor they had was fine. I just couldn’t believe he was a previous panther.
Djimon is much more intense in general, I always loved him as an actor since Gladiator
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 18h ago
Yea i remember the animated series, I had the comics too, I loved BP when I was younger, Gladiator and Blood Diamond. I think he would've been perfect for the role. The way I imagine him in the role is epic af
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u/Old_Dragonfruit_3362 15h ago
If he was younger he would be perfect cause his voice for the motion comic animated series thing was awesome
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u/justafanboy1010 Spider-Man 18h ago
Djimon Honsou is so underrated. He’s to me one of those actors where I forget the name but see them everywhere (Walton Goggins was another example for the longest) No matter his role, big or small, he kills it everytime
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u/vinnybawbaw 18h ago
I just remembered that Walton Goggins was in Ant-Man and The Wasp. If they bring him back they have to bring back Justin Hammer and make them interact. IYKYK.
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u/Educational-Ad-2884 18h ago
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u/MusicLikeOxygen 16h ago
The best part of that scene is that Goggins wasn't acting. They intentionally gave him a completely different script, so he'd have no clue where Rockwell was going with it.
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u/N8CCRG Ghost 15h ago
Rockwell wasn't even acting. He was just there and sharing with Walton why he was there, and they happened to record it.
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u/justafanboy1010 Spider-Man 18h ago
I wish I knew 🤣
Yeah, he played Sonny. I think he came back for that role in What If (where he played a racist version of Sonny) and in Marvel Zombies as well.
Ever since I seen Invincible and House of 1000 Corpses, I’ve been seeing him everywhere 🤣
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u/vinnybawbaw 18h ago
Him and Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer) are best friends in real life, and everytime they share the screen together they absolutely knock it out the park. Last time was on S3 of white Lotus and it was chief’s kiss. Especially Sam.
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u/neurotran 18h ago
He was also in Justified. That was my first time seeing him. Boyd Crowder.
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u/Mand125 17h ago
While he was pretty good, I still think Hammer would have been even better in the role.
Paroled somehow, trying to get back on his feet, has to resort to the black market to get enough power to gain legitimacy again, and has reason to hate Stark so is exactly the kind of person Pym would want to work with.
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u/CaptHayfever Hawkeye (Avengers) 13h ago
That sounds like it would've been a great thing to do in Armor Wars.
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u/Neptune28 16h ago
Walton and Michael Pena were both parners in The Shield and I don't think they even had an interaction in Ant-Man 2
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u/KingRaiderShark 12h ago
Yeah they have an interrogation scene together, among others
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u/CeruleanEidolon 9h ago
I used to really like Walton Goggins, but then he started showing up in literally every single Wal-Mart commercial and I started tasting vomit in my mouth whenever he showed up onscreen.
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 18h ago
Fr Bro always has a big presence in the movies he's in Gladiator, Constantine, Blood Diamond to name a few. Super underrated imo. And he voiced the Black Panther animated series.
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u/WestleyThe 18h ago
Oh man I just remembered him in Constantine he was the neutral club owner guy (papa midnight?)
I used to love that movie I should rewatch it
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 18h ago
Hell yea that's my joint right there. I always wished they made another one.
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u/CodeRadDesign 6h ago
The Island as well, he was the leader of the private security/mercenary guys they hired to find the runaways. great job on a tough role wrestling morality and professionalism once he saw what was really happening
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u/BZenMojo Captain America (Cap 2) 10h ago
Underpaid, but not underrated? He's got two Oscar nominations. (He's complained about how hard it is for him to get consistent work.)
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u/Normal-Air-2197 12h ago
Seen him in Gladiator, have not forgotten his name since. Awesome actor, needs to headline his own movie
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u/ComfortableAd6101 17h ago
He's way too recognizable as a previous MCU character unless they put him in heavy prosthetics and disguised his voice.
But then, what would be the point of using him?
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u/The_Abjectator Kevin Feige 18h ago
Already did in the Marvel Knights motion comics.
Djimon Hounsou as T'Challa Kerry Washington as Shuri Jill Scott as Ororo Munroe
Along with Alfre Woodard and Carl Lumbly in roles, too.
I've been looking for all the Marvel Knights dad's I can still find. They did a few.
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u/AphexAffectsEffects 18h ago
This is why I wanted him to be T’Chaka, I thought I would have been slightly better fitting considering the show too.
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u/PadawanSnips Scarlet Witch 18h ago
Not every back person has to be in black panther. The casting in those movies was already solid. Who exactly are you proposing he should have played?
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u/Designer_Pool_8453 18h ago
Yea but Djimon is actually African and not African American like most of the main cast. He would have added an extra layer of authenticity to the movie and may have been able to provide cultural related insights and suggestions to the movie. A lot of Africans criticized the accents from what I’ve heard.
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u/DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC 18h ago
"Most of the main cast" were not African-American. Only Chadwick (T'Challa), Forest (Zuri), Angela (Ramonda), Michael (Erik), and Danai (Okoye). Lupita (Nakia) is Kenyan, Daneil (W'Kabi) is British, Letitia (Shuri) is Guyanese, and Winston (M'Baku) is Trinidadian and Tobagonian. That's little more than half.
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u/Designer_Pool_8453 17h ago
Ok sorry. Most of the main cast is African American or African British or far enough removed from the continent of Africa, and NOT directly from Africa or an immigrant from Africa. Lupita grew up in Mexico, Letitia group up in the UK i believe, Winston Duke grew up in NYC. Besides that Guyana and Trinidad are in Caribbean. All those people are from the Americas except Daniel from the UK.
Edit: Lupita was born in Mexico but grew up in Kenya. So theres one actor of all the main cast connected to the continent.
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u/TankTopRider 16h ago
Only one person you mentioned was African tho which is what I think the main point of the person you were responding to
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u/shiloh_jdb 17h ago
He would have added authenticity as a solitary actor in the cast? Coogler has spoken at length about the work he put in to research traditional
African culture and build the lore around Wakanda. He intentionally built Wakanda as an amalgam of the diaspora and not any specific African country. The idea that he missed something that a single actor, good as he is, would add more credibility to, seems like a stretch.→ More replies (9)•
u/LeoLaDawg 17h ago
Are you sure you understand what acting is?
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u/Designer_Pool_8453 17h ago
Yes and some people do it better than others. Thats how actors get roles. By portraying a character better than the next. And I’m willing to bet Djimon, a fantastic actor from Africa, can better portray an African character better than an American actor can 9/10
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u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 17h ago
Let's be real the entire movie was totally from an African American perspective, not an African one in any way. Sure they used xosha but the cultural aspects of wakanda are such a mess it's borderline.... not racist but whatever a less intentional word for it is... Ignorant I guess. You got taureg script with East African fabric patterns and certain tribes in West African cosmetic practices (the red ochre skin covering and clay packed hair). Plus the South African language. Considering how drastically different those groups are it's just lazy. If a white person did it it would be super racist. But it's obviously not exactly racist in this case, just ignorant or dismissive of actual African mentalities.
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u/pimpmastaturtle 16h ago
He was going play BP in fantastic four and voiced him in an animated series
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u/Dr_Gonzo-4130 18h ago
He played a character in guardians of the galaxy and captain marvel already thats why .Its like asking why didnt Samuel L Jackson play Miles Morales .
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u/Adorable_Ad_3478 17h ago
That would be a fire casting.
"I can do whatever a motherf***** spider can. I'm the godddamn Spider-Man!!!!"
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u/m0t0rvision 11h ago
Its like asking why didnt Samuel L Jackson play Miles Morales .
It's nothing like this. Awful comparison lmao
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u/MechaEscargot2 18h ago
Yeah or asking RDJ to play Dr Doom, or Gemma Chan to play Sersi.
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u/Xeroxysm Groot 17h ago
Gemma Chan was under several layers of makeup when she played Minn-Erva, and Dr Doom is from another universe.
This is a bad faith comparison and you know it.
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u/Dr_Gonzo-4130 18h ago
Well his Doom is from a different universe .And guess what Different actors play the characters in different universe aka Silvi being a Loki variant .(And its creepy Silvi wants to bang Loki )
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u/MrNobody_0 18h ago
I'd fuck a genderswapped version of myself in a heartbeat. It's basically advanced masturbation.
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u/justafanboy1010 Spider-Man 18h ago
Or asking Alfre Woodard to play Mariah or Mahershala Ali to play Blade
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u/boogierboi 17h ago
Shiiid, id pay good money to see SLJ in a spidey suit beating up and calling people motherfckers
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u/feignapathy 18h ago
It's possible he could appear in a future role.
It's possible being in Captain Marvel (reprising his role from Guardians of the Galaxy) conflicted with the first Black Panther.
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u/MaderaArt 18h ago
It still baffles me that Marvel didn't use Ryan Gosling in any of the Black Panthers
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u/CeruleanEidolon 9h ago
They did and you just forgot, because he disappears so thoroughly into his roles.
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u/PrinceJarming 15h ago
If they ever do a prequel story about the settling of Wakanda, he’d be a good choice for Bashenga
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u/hung_fu The Ancient One 18h ago
I really wish people would stop casting like this — “he’s black, why isn’t he in Black Panther?”
It always screams a white person thinking they are being woke.
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u/aSpookyScarySkeleton 14h ago
This is an actually African guy though. Chadwick is an American and so is Jordan
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u/KingRhoamsGhost Obadiah Stane 15h ago
How is that applicable here though?
This is one of the most relevant people out there to bring up for this role.
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u/TowerTowerCrayons 12h ago
Why are you reducing Djimon to "he's black"? He's an incredibly unique actor, who we've all been watching for the past three decades.
Everyone knows his voice and mannerisms - he always ramps up the intensity, and brings a wisdom that's like a mix between Forrest Whittaker and Liam Neeson.
Honsou's also been in warrior/combat roles, from Gladiator to Never Back Down. Christ, we're not suggesting they use Chris Rock are we?
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u/jmoney777 5h ago
Samuel L Jackson implied that he should have been in Black Panther because he's black, does that mean he's racist to himself?
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u/RyantheAustralian 16h ago
I thought he would've been a great Black Panther, but he was probably too old by the time the first one was being made
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u/suhhdude45 15h ago
My favorite Djimon Honsou movie is Never Back Down. Guy was so good and a great mentor.
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u/GenGaara25 18h ago
Recasting only really works if people won't remember the actor was in another thing.
Djimon was pretty notable in Guardians, that whole scene was iconic. If he showed up in BP even regular audiences would be like "Isn't he an alien?"
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u/Crimkam 17h ago
I agree, he’s woefully underused in Hollywood. He stole several scenes in Gladiator back in the day, and I thought he’d have a much bigger career than he does. His role in GotG is not worthy of his talent, and he elevates it anyway.
Definitely should be in some Black Panther stuff
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u/StefNorthwest 16h ago
Djimon Honsou should be in more stuff. He always delivers. I would like to see more opportunities for his range across genres. He said last year that he is underpaid and has not found great financial stability despite his recognition and the length of his career. I don’t know the numbers or his lifestyle, but I definitely get the sense he’s being unjustly underserved.
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u/Commercial_Fox5549 14h ago
Contrary to popular belief, actors don’t just drop everything when Marvel calls, especially established actors. For all you know they asked many times, but he either didn’t like the part, or he was simply already booked.
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u/GraywolfofMibu 14h ago
He might not have been available or had a higher asking price than someone else. It could have simply been marvel didn't want to use him for another role since he had a character in the mcu already. It literally could have been for any reason.
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u/No_Juggernaut_9079 11h ago
If it makes you feel better, He did voiced T’Challa for a Black Panther series back in 2010
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u/BackgroundEngineer11 18h ago
I think they avoid reusing actors who's normal face would be pretty prominent in multiple roles.
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u/Banterz0ne 14h ago
Lmao.
"I just can't understand why Denzel isn't in black panther" OP, probably.
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u/m0t0rvision 11h ago
I love snarky reductionist comments on reddit
"I don't know how to think critically" - this guy, probably
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u/Ok-Improvement6657 17h ago
He's been in a couple of DC movies too. He's The Wizard in Shazam and played one of the fish people in Aquaman
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u/Famous_Apartment2733 16h ago
maybe because he is the 'goto' one eveyone gooes to when featuring charcters of that type ?
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u/ghostcatzero 16h ago
I think they pitched him to be BP in the 90s but thst never came into furistion
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u/0202_tihssitidder 14h ago
He was busy. He was also in GotG.
There are actually many (dozens even) Black actors who are great. You don't have to hire only the ones you know.
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u/CaptainRedHeady 13h ago
There’s 37 marvel movies….. why would he have to be in that one specifically?
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u/CaptHayfever Hawkeye (Avengers) 13h ago
They use actors in different roles, but they don't have actors toggle back & forth between those roles. Black Panther came out between Korath's 2 appearances.
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u/Otherwise-Tomato-788 13h ago
Yea, he went into MCu too early. Though Cersi was a Kree - he should’ve been recycled
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 11h ago
I agree, and the MCU waited too long to do Black Panther. After he voiced T'Challa in the animation he was alot of people's fancasting for a while for a live action movie but now he's old, damn 😔
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u/donotgotoroom237 13h ago
Him and Chiwetel were my Killmonger and Black Panther fancast respectively back in the day.
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u/Rith23 12h ago
IMO he was too old to play T’Challa. If you meant T’Chaka then yes I could see that. His role in guardians was great tho.
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 11h ago
Yea that would've been cool too. I haven't watched Captain Marvel that leople are talking about so i guess I'll check that out too
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u/Special_Ad_1802 12h ago
Why?
Seems a bit racist.
Do you often feel like random white people have to be in a particular movie because of their skin color?
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u/JustAThinkingGuy7 11h ago
Lol you know you could've just asked without projecting you racism and being a dick 🤷♂️
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u/Theboulder027 9h ago
Any role in black panther would've been great for Djimon Honsou!
I was also hoping he would play Ganondorf in the Zelda movie, but it looks like that isn't happening either.
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u/Golden_Emperor1 7h ago
Hes already been another character in multiple other marvel movies. Also, as you said, hes a little too far on the old side to be anyone significant or expected to return later. Stranger things have happened though, so who knows?
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u/Radical_Ryan Hawkeye (Ultron) 5h ago
Djimon has been quoted saying he doesn't care about superhero films and only did Guardians for his kids and a paycheck. We don't need actors who don't have passion for the projects.
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u/your_mind_aches Agent of F.I.T.Z. 3h ago
He's already quite iconic as Korath but I think they should totally bring him back as a different earth-based character. They brought back Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan, so yeah.
Djimon Honsou might be one of the most underrated actors ever. Ryan Coogler please get him in for a Black Panther role!!!! Or if not, get him in Ghost Rider.
(There were also rumors that Donald Glover would be in Wakanda Forever as a new character. I would kinda love that too. There's just a dude that looks like Aaron Davis in Wakanda, that's funny )
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u/AsherthonX 2h ago
Djimon Hounsou was the voice of Black Panther) / T'Challa in the 2010 animated motion comic series Black Panther.
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u/orbjo 18h ago
He’s in Captain Marvel, Guardians, Aquaman and Shazam.
He was doing fine