Marvel’s New Black Panther Is …White, Explained

Watch out Wakandans, there's a new Black Panther in town--but he's clearly not from your tribe. But don't worry fans, there's bit more to this story than you might realize.

As you well know by now and as shown in the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" back in 2022, King T'Challa (played by the late Chadwick Boseman) has passed away, leaving the vibranium-filled country without a real leader.

And while we saw that his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) took up the mantle to fend off the land from Namor and his fighters, the future of T'Challa's legacy was still left up in the air. However, if you'll remember from one of the post-credit scenes, he and his love Nakia did give birth to a son together, Touissant, though he was way too young to take over his father's former kingdom. As a result, many fans were left wondering just who the next Black Panther would be: Shuri, neighboring tribe general M'baku, an adult Touissant (Wakandan translation: T'Challa) or someone else altogether.

Well, it appears we've finally got our answer--just not in the way or where we expected. You see, Wakanada's new Black Panther isn't any of the aforementioned people. It's in fact a white boy named Ketema who just so happens to be T'Challa's other son, but it's a little complicated. Let's break it down.

OK, so first things first according to Comicbook.com : this timeline exists before the elder T'Challa dies and comes from the latest, six issue, limited series comic book, "Marvel Knights: The World To Come." Ketema is apparently T'Challa's son, but not through blood. Or at least, that's what readers can infer from the comic. His mother is presumably Monica Lynne, an earlier love interest for T'Challa, but she's a Black woman.

However, before entering into a relationship with the king of Wakanda, she parted ways with her ex-love--who just so happens to be a white man--and was pregnant at some point while she was with T'Challa. The king and Ketema eventually cross paths during a tribal challenge as the latter tries to take the throne. It's there that the the white boy reveals that he was raised by the clerics of Wakanda and displayed some sort of ill-feelings towards T'Challa.

So while we're unsure exactly how the two are (estranged) father and son, this does add an interesting layer to the story and begs the question of whether or not this hella alternate storyline will be explored in the upcoming third iteration of the "Black Panther" film franchise. Do you think Ryan Coogler will throw us all for a loop and give us a white Black Panther? We highly doubt it, but then again, you never truly know which way the pendulum will swing when it comes to Marvel. We guess we'll all just have to wait and see.