"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" continues to devour movie theaters, but the claws are
out from fans about some aspects of Marvel's latest blockbuster. Warning: spoilers ahead.
Chadwick Boseman's death on August 28th, 2020 devastated fans around the world,
and the cast and crew of "Black Panther." And in the wake of his passing,
his death led to an issue that many fans had with the sequel. Specifically,
Ryan Coogler and Kevin Feige's staunch refusal to recast T'Challa in "Black Panther 2."
In an interview with "Empire," Feige acknowledged,
"It just felt like it was much too soon to recast ... as extraordinary
and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there's a relatable
and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad."
Boseman made T'Challa an icon and a role model to many, with the actor himself just as entangled
with the character as Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans have been with Iron Man and Captain America.
Nonetheless, there are still a lot of fans who were not just disappointed,
but outraged by the idea of a "Black Panther" movie with no T'Challa, even knowing that
the role would have to be recast to make it happen. For instance, a Twitter user wrote,
"We had one black male super hero ... and yall killed him after one movie."
And, as another user points out, it's not like the MCU hasn't recast before,
with Don Cheadle taking over the role of War Machine from Terrance Howard and Harrison Ford
set to replace the late William Hurt as General "Thunderbolt" Ross in the upcoming "Thunderbolts."
Boseman's death necessitated a vastly different approach to the sequel's story,
especially considering that writer-director Ryan Coogler decided not to recast the hero.
This meant that a different character would have to take the mantle,
which ended up falling to T'Challa's super-genius scientist sister, Shuri.
Of course, for that plot to work, the movie would also have to explain T'Challa's absence. And since
they didn't have a way to have Chadwick on screen, without a creepy-looking deepfake,
it meant they instead decided to have the character of T'Challa die off-screen. To be fair,
there was no real way to do that in a satisfying way. This is especially true
without Boseman or the willingness to use a stand-in. Coogler made the
wisest decision he could by having the death happen quickly at the beginning of the film.
However, many fans were understandably upset by this decision, including one Twitter user
who brought up the fact that Wakanda's super science seems advanced enough to cure pretty much
any mortal illness. After all, in the comics, the Black Panther is immune to disease. It's also just
very anti-climatic, in general, to have your lead character die off-screen. However, it's undeniable
that there were no great options for Coogler here, and they did a great job with the route they took.
One of the highlights of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is the live-action reveal
of the classic Marvel anti-hero Namor, played to perfection by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta,
who has been justifiably outspoken about colorism and discrimination in the entertainment industry.
Even better, the character is also very comic book accurate in his appearance,
down to Namor's patented pointy elf ears, skimpy green trunks, and even the goofy wings
on his feet that let him fly. Ryan Coogler was able to make Namor work as a compelling
and cool character on screen, despite all the ways the character could've gone wrong. Namor
even yells out his comic book battle cry of "Imperius Rex" during the climax of the film.
However, one of the big changes the film makes to Namor's backstory is the fact that,
instead of being from Atlantis, Namor hails from
the Mesoamerican-inspired fallen kingdom of Talokan, loosely based on Mayan mythology.
"They don't call him general or king. They call him K'uk'ulkan. The feather serpent god."
There were a variety of reasons for the change from the source material, including possibly
to avoid comparison to DC's blockbuster Aquaman movies starring Jason Mamoa. Also, it's a nice way
to add more diversity and representation to the MCU, and the superhero movie landscape in general.
Unfortunately, while most fans appreciate the MCU adaptation of Namor's backstory,
some were not so happy about the change in the canon. There's just no pleasing
some people who've grown attached to every detail of comic book lore.
Most fans of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" appreciated the change to Namor's backstory,
especially in how it allowed more Indigenous representation
to be included in a blockbuster superhero film. However, even some of those fans,
who appreciated what Feige and Coogler had in mind for the MCU's version of Namor,
had other issues with how the character was portrayed in the "Black Panther" sequel.
For instance, in the original Marvel comics, Namor is known for being stubborn, strong-willed,
and a bit of a Lothario. While a lot of that is still intact in the cinematic version,
some vocal fans were disappointed with how he was so easily defeated in the end.
Admittedly, some of these opinions stem from sexist ideas believing
that Shuri shouldn't have been given the Black Panther mantle,
but other fans have made more cogent points. As one Reddit user wrote,
"If Namor carried a bottle of water with him, he would be invincible. Also,
why didn't he go take a sip of water when Shuri was stunned before starting the fight?"
Also, while he and Shuri certainly seemed to have some chemistry as he showed her around Talokan,
he's not as overtly leery as he is in the source material. Of course,
that's probably a good thing, all things considered.
The original 2018 "Black Panther" film is rightfully heralded as not only a great
Marvel movie and an outstanding superhero film, but as simply a good film in general. It can even
include a nomination for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards among its many accolades. However,
despite the praise from critics and fans alike, the somewhat janky CGI was always a
big and consistent complaint about the film. And it's not unfounded, either, especially during
the final fight between T'Challa and Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger underneath Wakanda.
To be fair, this issue isn't a problem with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" specifically, as a lot
of recent blockbusters have been burdened with an overabundance of shoddy VFX work. Nonetheless a
lot of the CGI in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" feels undercooked, with fans on TikTok comparing
Riri Williams' overly-shiny Ironheart armor to a Power Ranger's costume. Honestly, it's a point
that's hard to argue with, despite Ironheart's otherwise welcome addition to the cast.
One of the chief complaints lobbed at the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
especially since 2012's "Avengers," is the overly quippy and self-referential "Whedon-speak."
"That man is playing Galaga. Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."
Worse, that kind of patented overly snarky and irreverent dialogue that
the MCU has traded in for over a decade has been seeping into other
movies as well, becoming the de-facto mode of conversation for way too many blockbusters.
This has led to an inevitable backlash towards the MCU by critics and fans alike, especially
considering its ubiquity across the entire entertainment industry. Fans eventually started
complaining about how the MCU now had far too many jokes, the stakes started to feel non-existent,
and every character had the same quippy attitude, despite their disparate backgrounds and origins.
Luckily, many fans were happy to discover that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" had a much more
serious tone. It makes sense, considering the entire film is grappling with heavy topics like
grief, the devastating effects of imperialism, and the death of its previous star hanging over it.
Unfortunately, some fans didn't appreciate the change in tone, or,
at the very least, didn't appreciate just how dark and oppressive it got.
One Twitter user wrote that "the mood was too serious." Another Twitter user
comedically showcased the change in tone and perspective between the two "Black Panther"
films by showing two very different moments in the same James Corden skit.
There was probably no way, given the unfortunate behind-the-scenes circumstances of the film,
that "Wakanda Forever" would be as fun as the first "Black Panther." However,
it also makes sense that many fans would rather have come to
watch an escapist fantasy, rather than a sobering meditation on grief and loss.
Another of the small handful of criticisms faced by the first "Black Panther" film was
about the inclusion of a "good guy" CIA agent, Everett Ross. The concept feels disingenuous as,
in the real world, the CIA has been at the forefront of toppling many
democratically-elected governments around the world. This has particularly affected nations
in Africa and Central and South America, cultures that inspired Wakanda and Talokan.
The U.S. has played a part in stripping those nations of their natural resources,
which is not too dissimilar to Western nations' desire to obtain Vibranium in the films.
Even the "Black Panther" films in the MCU don't shy away from the agency's terrible and
imperialist atrocities. It's a major plot point in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" that the U.S.
government, operating via Agent Ross' ex-wife, CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine,
is behind a plan to steal both Wakanda and Talokan's Vibranium by any means necessary.
A Twitter user stated the issues with the
film's political framing pretty plainly in an insightful tweet:
"Absolutely hilarious how Wakanda Forever seamlessly goes from ... 'this dangerous
indigenous extremist wants his land back, that's messed up' to 'anyway,
let's check in with our lovable CIA scamp.'"
This is not to say that there isn't any nuance in Coogler and the MCU's depiction of the CIA,
but it could still do better in grappling with the issue.
The cast member who stands out most of all in the "Black Panther" films is Angela Bassett,
who plays T'Challa and Shuri's mother, the wise and regal Queen Ramonda.
In "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Bassett's Queen Ramonda has taken over diplomatic affairs
for Wakanda after T'Challa's untimely death. She does this as powerful Western nations like
France and the United States attempt to undermine Wakanda's sovereignty and gain
access to their Vibranium. These attempts lead those governments to the ocean, where they find
Namor's kingdom of Talokan. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Namor's people have their own
reserve of Vibranium as well. Because of this, Namor attempts to broker a truce with Wakanda,
which doesn't go well, and eventually, Namor attacks Wakanda and drowns Queen Ramonda.
"I need to know if Wakanda is an ally or an enemy."
This one was an intentional move by the filmmakers to make viewers
upset. The sadness and melancholy were the desired effect Ryan Coogler wanted,
and he certainly did succeed if social media is anything to go by. Just see
the reaction from Twitter users reacting with statements like "QUEEN MOTHA GET UP."
To get this out of the way upfront: When it comes to portraying Shuri's journey from
grief to her acceptance of the mantle of Black Panther, Letitia Wright absolutely kills it in
"Wakanda Forever." She more than steps into the Vibranium shoes left by Chadwick Boseman
as she showcases a wide range of emotions while handling the action scenes with immense skill.
Not only is she asked to do more in the sequel, but she nails every aspect of her performance.
Outside the movie, though, it's been disheartening for many fans to find
out that between "Black Panther" and "Wakanda Forever," Wright took to spreading anti-vax and
bigoted anti-trans conspiracy theories. Upon facing backlash for her comments,
she only doubled down, rather than apologizing or retracting them. There have also been reports
alleging that she was responsible for a COVID scare on the "Wakanda Forever" set.
Because of all this, some fans understandably struggled to
separate the actor from her character, such as a Twitter user who wrote,
"It's a shame Letitia Wright had and seemingly continues to have
that anti-vax controversy considering Shuris arc in Wakanda Forever is perfect
and she gives an incredible performance that I really wasn't expecting from her."
Unlike most films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" doesn't
have an after-credits sequence. In fact, it's one of the only films in the entire MCU to not have
one. There is a mid-credits sequence in "Wakanda Forever," which is a beautiful and emotional coda
in which Shuri is then greeted by Nakia and the son she secretly had with T'Challa. He's
named after his father, possibly setting him up to reclaim the Black Panther mantle in later sequels.
All of that aside, there was a persistent rumor from legitimate outlets like "The
Hollywood Reporter" that none other than Victor Von Doom was going to be introduced
in an after-credits stinger at the end of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
"Wait, what is this? Victor Von Doom is on here."
Now, this could've been true at one point, but then changed to let the Black Panther film end
on hope and renewal. Or the rumors were unfounded and he was never intended to appear. Either way,
the iconic Marvel villain does not reveal himself in "Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever." That didn't stop certain fans from getting upset,
with one Twitter user posting a meme of someone putting on clown makeup and crying.