After Chadwick Boseman, the original actor for T'Challa (Black Panther), passed away in 2020, Marvel Studios decided not to recast T'Challa. Instead, the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, honored Boseman's legacy by integrating his character's death into the storyline, allowing other characters, particularly Shuri (played by Letitia Wright) to take on more prominent roles.
In Peaky Blinders, Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory who was a central character in the Shelby family, died in April 2021. Before her death, she had completed some initial work on the sixth season but passed away before filming could be completed. In Season 6, the writers chose to honor both the character of Polly and McCrory’s legacy by writing her death into the storyline and retiring her role.