Before we talk about Ryan Gosling, it is a huge tragedy that we lost Chadwick Boseman at such a young age. Truly a gifted actor, he not only embodied T’Challa in Black Panther, but he had a variety of other memorable roles. Andre in 21 Bridges, Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and his amazing portrayal of Jackie Robinson come to mind. We later saw T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri, at the helm in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. What’s next for Marvel’s Black Panther? How does Ryan Gosling fit?
Ryan Gosling Suits Up?
A while back, an internet rumor had Ryan Gosling wearing the famous vibranium suit. There was much speculation about what was going on with Black Panther – and Ryan Gosling. Was he to be the next Black Panther? Was this an alternate universe? (There are many multiverses, after all.) Or possibly a joke? What’s going on?
Has Ryan Gosling Been Involved with Marvel Before?
The short answer is no. He has played a superhero before in Young Hercules, a series in the late 90s. Ryan Gosling has expressed interest in being in a MCU film. With so many well known actors suiting up, who wouldn’t?
Who is Ketema?
So here it is: T’Challa had a love interest years ago named Monica Lynn. Was Ketema the product of that relationship? Also, Ketema is shown as a resentful son. He comes back to challenge his father in Marvel Knights: The World to Come. Ketema later is revealed to have blonde hair and blue eyes. Hmm.
A couple of theories pertaining to why Ketema has this appearance might be a weird genetic engineering experiment. (Albino radioactive/vibranium spider, anyone?) Another theory (more plausible) would be that he was actually an adopted son. Only time will tell if Marvel goes this direction with Ryan Gosling.
Who Could Wear the Vibranium?
Let’s consider for a minute that Ryan Gosling plays Ketema. The La La Land actor is quite capable of it. If Ketema was actually rescued as a young boy only to see T’Challa leave to fight battles, Ketema might be very resentful. Ryan Gosling happens to do “brooding and resentful” quite well. (Remember Blue Valentine?)
Besides Ryan Gosling, a few other actors may be able to play the Black Panther. John David Washington, Denzel‘s son, would be a fantastic choice. Djimon Hounsou might be another. Also, Damson Idris has grabbed the attention of both audiences and producers recently. Damson had said on his social media a few months back:
Yes sir. I turned down 007, A co-lead film with Daniel Day[-]Lewis and an Eddie Murphy biopic too.
Clearly Damson was toying with the media. He does bear a striking resemblance in some ways to a young Chadwick. Potentially, there could be several other Black Panthers in this universe, which could include Ryan Gosling. Before fans start speculating too much, it’s best to let this play out. Marvel is known for their team of amazing writers, so we’ll hopefully get some answers soon.
