Follow me through my predictions about the next ruler of Wakanda.
Marvel Entertainment has announced that the iconic film, Black Panther, will get its sequel movie called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, set to release on Nov. 11.
It’s been four years since the first installment displayed a needed change in the movie business, grossing 1.344 billion USD while in theaters. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) first Black-led film, Black Panther witnessed swathes of Black audiences globally attend the theater to witness the Afro-futuristic superhero flick. Just proving that representation is not only important, but will also sell.
However, things changed radically when news broke that the beloved Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther’s character namesake, and lead actor, passed away in August 2020 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. Many mourned and found ways to honor Boseman’s legacy, including Marvel Studio’s executive producer, Kevin Feige, announcing that Boseman will remain the only person to play Black Panther in the MCU, therefore, T’Challa will not be recast.
With that being said, the question for what this new sequel will be about is on every fan’s mind. However, with the recently released, tear-inducing teaser, a few things became clear.
Firstly, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be about the women that surrounded T’Challa in the first film.
The opening background music initiated a clear homage to T’Challa. The first lyrics, sang by Nigerian singer, Tems, says, “No woman, no cry”. It is a rendition of Bob Marley’s “No Women, Nuh Cry”, which carries the message to keep your head up during hard times.
While often misinterpreted as a song that means a man shouldn’t cry over having no women, the song actually fits very well into the theme of the potential plot of the new film.
We see shots of Queen Ramonda (T’Challa’s mother), Nakia (T’Challa’s love interest), Okoye (Leader of the Dora Milaje and T’Challa’s advisor), and finally Shuri (Princess of Wakanda and T’Challa’s sister) in various environments, all of them dawning a complexity that Director, Ryan Coogler, will definitely engrain within the film.
Based on the teaser, it is clear that T’Challa’s loved ones are now going to deal with the aftermath of a lost King.
Queen Ramonda seems to be taking the kingdom into her own hands. She seems to appear at a UN meeting to discuss. Her words in the background just offer an emotional addition to the entire teaser:
“I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone. Have I not given everything,” she says in what looks like her addressing others in the throne room.
It is uncertain the full role that Nakia and Okoye will play based on the trailer, however, they are seen having the most interaction with the film’s (supposed) antagonists, Namor and the Atlanteans.
Shuri appears to be very emotional in almost every shot she is in. It is known that she was extremely close to her brother and created the iconic Black Panther suit that fans all know and love.
Additionally, Shuri is now sat with the question of whether she will become Queen and/or the Black Panther. While it seems the reigns of the country will be taken on by Queen Ramonda for now, there is a likely chance that Shuri may become the new protector of Wakanda, once like her brother.
It is canonically factual that Shuri becomes Black Panther, first seen in 2008 in the Marvel Black Panther comic series titled, Dark Reign.
While there is a flurry of fan predictions about who will take on the Black Panther title, it surely makes the most sense that Shuri will be the #1 prospect.
Shuri has similar, if not the same upbringing as T’Challa. She is wildly intelligent, more than T’Challa actually. She created the Black Panther suit which gives the wearer enhanced ability while wearing it, and ultimately, the heart-shaped herb is only traditionally consumed by the heir to the mantle of Black Panther, or specifically the members of the royal family.
If anyone will inherit the title protector of Wakanda, it would be the blood sibling of the former King.
While we will not know what really happens until the movie releases, Shuri’s clear mourning of T’Challa may be the encouraging factor to become the new Black Panther.
Black Panther will incite an impassioned return to the theaters, inspired from the first film. The cultural impact is undeniable. Now we will see a centering on the African women that demanded respect from the first film. Hopefully, it will be done right.
We shall see in the theaters in November!