Even without Chadwick Boseman, "Black Panther" is ready to claw its way back to the top of the
box office. Here's everything you should know before your next trip to Wakanda.
Obviously, Marvel Studios had to drastically change its plans for "Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever" following Chadwick Boseman's death, and it pushed its original May 6, 2022,
release date to July 8, 2022. Angela Bassett, Queen Ramonda herself, told Entertainment
Tonight that there had been five drafts of the script after his passing. She explained,
"I don't know what it's going to look like at all. There have been about five incarnations of the
script and I hear another one's coming. Of course, with our dear king [Boseman] going on to glory,
a lot of things had to be shifted and changed. [...] Hopefully it will be satisfying, I think,
for the fans and it will be honorable of our Chad [...] We love our king."
This all meant that production had to be pushed back until the summer of 2021,
and it lasted until March 2022. The film was pushed again to November 11,
2022, amongst several other Marvel movies, with Variety reporting that these delays were due to
production issues. Thankfully, the film is still on track to arrive in theaters later this year.
The first "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" teaser
is an enlightening look at the sequel without actually giving too much away. The emotional
footage is scored to Tems' cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," as Wakanda mourns its fallen
king. Meanwhile, Shuri, Queen Ramonda, Nakia, and Okoye all grieve for their loved one. Wakanda is
in a very weak position, so it isn't long before Namor shows up and starts causing trouble for
Shuri and her family. Unfortunately, it isn't clear why this war has erupted between Wakanda
and Talocan, but it probably has something to do with Talocans seeing the water as their realm.
There are brief shots of some kind of giant research ship lowering two
people in mechanical suits into the ocean, so perhaps they've trespassed on the Talocans'
territory — or damaged something which has enraged them. Either way,
there are several glimpses of Namor and the Talocans warring with the Dora Milaje,
so let's hope for some thrilling fights on land and at sea. It's entirely possible
that outside forces are manipulating the two nations, but there's nothing in the trailer to
suggest a secret big bad just yet — even if the internet thinks otherwise. But we'll get to that.
The most important takeaway from the teaser is that it ends with someone else wielding a brand
new Black Panther suit, which is decked out in gold details this time around. There are
plenty of candidates out there, but it looks like it might be Shuri getting some new duds.
"Do not tell me what is possible! Tell me the truth!"
One of the biggest questions fans have about "Wakanda Forever" revolves around
the identity of the next Black Panther. After all, T'Challa leaves some very big
shoes to fill as the nation's leader and a key member of the Avengers. The easiest option is
obviously Shuri since she gets her own Black Panther costume in the comics, and British
star Letitia Wright is reprising her role as the king's sister in the sequel. There's been
some controversy surrounding Wright throughout the pandemic, as she previously retweeted some
supposedly anti-vaccination opinions, which was met with heavy backlash from some fans.
The Hollywood Reporter would later claim that the actress
was making her anti-vax stance known while working on the "Black Panther"
sequel in Atlanta. Wright later refuted these reports on Instagram, saying,
"I honestly assert that this was completely untrue."
So it'll be interesting to see whether she does get her own suit. Wright previously told Black
Girl Nerds that Shuri throws herself into her work as a way of processing
her grief for T'Challa, so expect to see plenty of new technology. She explained,
"So there's so much new technology to look forward to, and I think that's where her sweet
spot is at the moment. Like, 'How do I process this?' And she just throws all of her energy,
even more so, into technology. So, there's a lot of cool new things to look out for."
Rumors swirled online that Mexican star Tenoch Huerta would be joining the film
as Namor the Submariner. This wasn't confirmed until San Diego Comic-Con
2022 when Kevin Feige brought the star onstage during Marvel Studios' Hall H
presentation. Huerta was pretty enthusiastic about joining the MCU, telling the audience,
"I'm so happy to be here. It's an honor. I want to say something really fast about inclusion:
Thanks to inclusion I am here. I wouldn't be here without inclusion. And a lot of kids are
there looking at us grinning at us because we're here. [By the way] Namor is amazing!"
A listing for Hasbro's Namor figure also revealed a surprising fact about his home,
because while he's from Atlantis in the comics, Marvel Studios has renamed the underwater kingdom
to Talocan. This was later confirmed in a press release about the "Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever" prologue album from Ludwig Goranson. It's largely because Marvel has
worked in Mayan/Aztec culture into Namor's people. This can be seen in his design,
which is complete with winged ankles and green trunks from the comics.
Believe it or not, Namor is actually Marvel's very first mutant in the comics, chronologically
speaking. He's a combination of Atlantean DNA and human DNA, which grants him the powers of the
Talocans while also maintaining a typically human appearance. It's an impressive mix of genes, and
aside from breathing underwater, Namor can also fly, which also leads back to his mutant makeup.
The MCU is quickly racking up many younger heroes across Kevin Feige's grand superhero tapestry,
and there's another one on her way: Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne. Williams is a genius
inventor and a relatively new character in the comics, first arriving in "Invincible Iron Man
Vol. 3" #7. She builds her own version of the Iron Man armor and eventually suits up as her own hero,
Ironheart. Feige revealed that Ironheart is getting her own TV show at the 2020
Disney Investor Day presentation, which was incredibly exciting news in itself.
"Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."
But it wasn't until August 2021 that Feige revealed to ComicBook.com that
Thorne will also have a supporting role in "Wakanda Forever," saying,
"We're shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams,
you will meet in Black Panther 2 first. She started shooting,
I think, this week before her Ironheart series."
For the moment it's not clear how Williams gets involved with the Wakandans, mainly because her
comics origin starts when she's at college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
One of the most memorable supporting characters in Wakanda is the formidable M'Baku,
played by Winston Duke, the leader of the Jabari tribe. They're the most traditional
clan in the isolated nation because they've turned away from the country's reliance on
vibranium and advanced technology. Instead, M'Baku and his tribe live high up in the
mountains — only descending to meet other groups for occasions like T'Challa's ascension to King,
where the leader challenged him for the title of Black Panther. He winds up becoming one of
T'Challa's allies after Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger usurps the hero,
even saving him from certain death after he was thrown from the top of a cliff.
It seems like M'Baku has brought the Jabari into the 21st century,
as Duke previously told Screen Rant,
"I think the events of 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame' really showed that the Jabari are
now full-fledged members of Wakanda. M'Baku was a part of every single conflict; every event,
and I don't think they could really exist in isolation anymore. They have open borders,
and we saw that M'Baku was really Wakandan. His entire community has expanded."
It sounds like he'll be at the forefront of a lot of action this time around,
as The Hollywood Reporter previously revealed that
Duke has negotiated a bigger salary for an expanded role in the sequel.
2018's "Black Panther" was stacked with a truly talented cast, including British star
Daniel Kaluuya, who was previously nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for his role
in Jordan Peele's "Get Out." He won Best Supporting Actor for "Judas and the Black
Messiah." He appears in "Black Panther" as T'Challa's confidant and best friend,
W'Kabi, a member of the Border tribe whose father was killed by Andy Serkis'
Ulysses Klaue years before the events of the film. This is part of the reason
that he sides with Killmonger when he delivers Klaue's body as a way of getting into Wakanda.
Although W'Kabi's new alliance forced him against his friends and family,
he manages to stay alive by the end of the film. However,
W'Kabi won't show up in "Wakanda Forever" because Kaluuya was already set to work on
Peele's science-fiction horror flick, "Nope." According to Rotten Tomatoes' Jacqueline Coley,
the schedules for both films clashed at the time. It's not surprising that Kaluuya
opted to stay onboard for "Nope," since he did some of his best work with Peele in "Get Out."
"It's in the cloud!"
"Mhmm."
Marvel Studios has a great knack for attracting Hollywood legends alongside
up-and-coming talent — but "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is a stacked cast full
of huge names with years of experience behind them. Angela Bassett is back as Queen Ramonda,
while "The Walking Dead" alum Danai Gurira will don her Dora Milaje uniform again as Okoye. She'll
be joined by Florence Kasumba's Ayo, who was last seen in "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier."
"I May Destroy You" lead actress Michaela Coel is joining the MCU as Aneka,
who is a former member of the Dora Milaje in the comics. Likewise,
Martin Freeman is back as CIA agent Everett Ross. Meanwhile down in Talocan,
Tenoch Huerta's underwater forces are bolstered by Mabel Cadena's Namora and Alex Livinelli's Attuma.
The late Dorothy Steele has also reprised her role as the Merchant Tribe leader in
one of her final performances before her death in October 2021 at the age of 95.
Ryan Coogler is back on directing duties for "Wakanda Forever." It's a complete no-brainer
from Marvel Studios considering the first film earned over $1 billion worldwide and
was a critical hit as well as a commercial one. Thankfully, the man behind "Fruitvale
Station" and "Creed" isn't short of ideas for the MCU, and he clearly works well within the
system alongside the likes of Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso. As per Forbes, the director
signed on for the sequel back in 2018 — not long after the first film raked in all that profit.
He's had a very difficult job of steering the ship after Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing
and it's not something he's taken lightly. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter,
Coogler explained that he feels the star would want him to carry on. He said,
"It's difficult. You've got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn't have wanted
us to stop. He was somebody who was so about the collective [...] So it would be harder for me to
stop. Truthfully. I'd feel him yelling at me, like, 'What are you doing?' So you keep going."
"You've been warned."
Thankfully, the first teaser suggests that Coogler has once again helmed an
adventure that could be truly special.
Let's face it, the MCU timeline is a sprawling tapestry that is very hard
to keep track of. This is especially true when you consider all the time-travel shenanigans
that the Avengers and Loki get up to in the movies and shows on Disney+. All of that is
only going to get more complicated as the studio jumps head-first into the multiverse
with future projects like "Loki" Season 2, "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," and "Avengers:
Secret Wars." Thankfully, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" seems to be more of
a grounded movie rather than involving cosmic concepts and alternate realities.
Because it's also the final film of Phase 4, it seems likely that it's set in the present day of
the MCU, after the likes of "Ms. Marvel," "Thor: Love and Thunder," and "She-Hulk." Although,
considering it's introducing Namor to the big screen for the very first time we can probably
expect to see some flashbacks to his origin and how Talocan became the sunken city that it is now.
This isn't to say that it won't lead up to bigger plot points and movies,
But it seems like a safe bet that it'll be focused on the here and now because
it'll honor the legacy of both Chadwick Boseman and T'Challa.
Okay, let's address the Doctor Doom in the room. With movies like "Fantastic Four" and "Avengers:
Secret Wars" on the horizon, it doesn't seem long until we can predict when and
where legendary villain Doctor Doom finally returns to the big screen. But there are
a few rumors online suggesting that a new version of the Latverian bad guy is on the
way. It makes sense if Marvel Studios borrows from Jonathan Hickman's 2015 event series,
"Secret Wars." One persistent rumor says that Doctor Doom will be revealed
in some capacity towards the end of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
A report from Bleeding Cool claims that Doom puppeteers the war between Wakanda and Talocan
for his own ends, although it's not clear why. The site noted that while Doom's apparent role won't
be big, it will imply that this Wakanda-Atlantis war was a result of Doom's interference.
Interesting. He's one of many villains who's tried to overthrow Wakanda for many years, so
it would hardly be surprising if he's just looking to get his metal gauntlets on all that vibranium.
It would be easy to imagine Doom taking his rightful place in the MCU. But to introduce
him solely as an overarching character could be disappointing — unless he's
going to start showing up more frequently over the next few years. We'll just have
to endure the pain of waiting and see whether Doctor Doom is coming.
"Painful? You don't know the meaning of the word."
When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
one can always expect a cameo or two. Bridging heroes from one film
to another is the backbone of how this comic book-inspired universe handles itself. However,
with the roster of the MCU franchise constantly expanding, it has become more difficult to
guess which characters might appear in which movies. Aside from the confirmed cast list,
there are some knowledgeable guesses as to who may pop up in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
As confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will be the official
end of Marvel's fourth phase. The exception of course, as James Gunn stated on Twitter,
is that of "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special," which will serve as an epilogue. Looking
back at Marvel's latest stories, one character has helped to thread the phase together:
the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong. He snuck his way into multiple Phase Four outings,
including "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and
"She-Hulk." It would not be unexpected to see the master sorcerer make another appearance.
Meanwhile, another name that has been closely linked to "Black Panther 2" is
the MCU's newest Captain America, Anthony Mackie. Despite the actor
stating that he is not in the film, he did confirm that he visited the set,
via the Twitter account Black Panther News. This led to speculation that this may be
the first time audiences see Mackie in his new uniform since "Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
Of course, the tragic fact is that
the upcoming "Black Panther" sequel is missing its star, Chadwick Boseman. The character of T'Challa
quickly became a fan favorite with his debut in "Captain America: Civil War." Aside from
headlining his own feature in 2018, Boseman continued his reign as the king of Wakanda
throughout two "Avengers" movies. Sadly, at 43 years old, Boseman died of colon cancer
in August 2020. Losing such an integral piece of the franchise was undoubtedly difficult for the
cast and crew in moving forward with a sequel. However, Chadwick's brother Derrick Boseman
confirmed to TMZ that the late actor would have wanted the legacy of "Black Panther" to continue.
Though talks about recasting briefly swirled, they were put to rest by Marvel Studios president Kevin
Feige, who confirmed that bringing in a new face to play T'Challa was never an option. Further,
Feige told Deadline in 2021 that the actor would not be inserted into the
movie through CGI. Most fans can agree that Marvel made the right decision in proceeding
with a sequel that honors Boseman rather than replacing or simulating him. But that doesn't
change the fact that for the cast and crew, there's a notable absence. Martin Freeman,
who will reprise his role as CIA Agent Everett Ross, told Collider,
"At the heart of it, there's quite a gap now, and you felt it."
Based on Freeman's remarks, audiences can expect Boseman's presence to be felt throughout the film,
especially as the plot centers around his character's legacy.
With the premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" fast approaching,
fans began receiving their first clues to the plot and premise of the sequel
in 2022. The official synopsis released by Marvel Studios reads:
"Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from
intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans
strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of
War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda."
At the conclusion of the first "Black Panther" movie, the King of Wakanda chose to reveal the
secret nation to the world and share their advancements with the rest of society.
"We must find a way to look after one another."
The aftermath and revelations of this reveal will significantly impact the sequel's plot,
especially as the nation of Wakanda is left leaderless. It's also easy to guess
that a new Black Panther will be crowned during the events of "Wakanda Forever."