Kevin Feige got asked the Damson Idris question point-blank, and his answer was two words and a laugh.
During a Shanghai roundtable with Chinese media (translated, circulating via Weibo), a journalist asked when we’ll know whether Idris is playing the new Black Panther.
Per the translation, Feige replied: “Not today,” and laughed.
A Non-Denial, Then A Wink
File the exchange under rumor, because nothing was confirmed.
But note what Feige didn’t do: he didn’t shoot it down, deflect to Letitia Wright’s Shuri, or play confused about the premise. “Not today” treats the question as having an answer with a date attached.
Then it got better. Later in the session, Feige teased that Avengers: Doomsday contains character pairings nobody would ever guess, already shot, that he predicts audiences will walk out raving about.
And per the interviewer, Feige then quietly added that maybe they could guess one, a remark the journalist noted came right after the Idris and Black Panther questions, reading it as a possible hint.
What It Would Mean
The rumor mill has attached Idris to a T’Challa recast for the next era, a swing Marvel has been unwilling to take since 2020.
Wright’s Shuri currently carries the mantle and is in the Doomsday cast. An Idris Black Panther surfacing in this movie, paired with someone unexpected, would be exactly the kind of reveal Marvel is holding for a stage.
Conveniently, there’s a stage on Saturday: Marvel’s Hall H panel, where the newer trailer is expected. Keep the receipts on this one.
Follow every update at our Avengers: Doomsday hub.
Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18, 2026.
