Everything We're Looking Forward to From 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

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The tragic death of Boseman in 2020 was felt beyond the film industry, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever offers a unique opportunity for fans of the beloved actor to feel like a participant at his send-off through King T’Challa’s funeral. Both trailers for the movie have been emotionally charged and position T’Challa’s funeral in their opening moments, symbolizing how Coogler and his team plan to handle Boseman’s death as tastefully as possible while still having it make sense in the framework of the story.

We don’t know how the Black Panther died in the MCU yet, but Coogler has already made it so that the logistics of the loss don’t matter as much as how it has affected everyone involved, including actors, fans, and fictional characters alike. The celebration of Boseman and T’Challa’s life and legacy is sure to be at the center of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as a lesson on how to pick up the broken pieces of loss and figure out how to move forward.

The biggest question going into Wakanda Forever is the most obvious one: Who would be the next Black Panther now that T’Challa is gone? That question has seemingly already been answered in the movie’s latest trailer and promotional material, with a more slender woman-esque figure now wearing the iconic suit. Many believe this is Letitia Wright’s Shuri taking on the Black Panther mantle in place of her fallen brother, and this theory lines up considering the shape of the suit and that Shuri is the architect and mastermind behind many of its technological upgrades. What remains now is the question of how the mantle is passed to her, and that answer will surely be one of the most memorable aspects of Wakanda Forever.

Dominique Thorne’s portrayal of Riri Williams could very well steal the show, and it’s exciting to finally be introduced to another young Black woman superhero in the MCU. In the comics, Williams is a young genius from Chicago who hopes to carry on Tony Stark’s legacy by creating her own Iron Man armor. Successfully reverse-engineering an outdated Iron Man suit, Williams becomes Ironheart and uses a Stark A.I. in her suit. We see glimpses of the Ironheart suit taking flight in new footage from the trailers for Wakanda Forever, and it looks like Shuri and Wakanda will also play a part in Williams’ origin story. Her inclusion could mean that her suits will receive a vibranium upgrade from the Wakandans. After the death of Tony Stark, the MCU has been in dire need of a snarky genius flying around in an iron suit, and Ironheart will fill that role perfectly. 

Namor the Sub-Mariner is one of the more interesting antagonists to be introduced in the MCU because he and the Black Panther have several things in common. They both are tasked with guiding their people and protecting them but now find themselves threatened by foreign attackers. Portrayed by Tenoch Huerta, Namor is described as “the feathered serpent god” to the people of Talocan in the latest trailer, suggesting that he is imbued with a similar otherworldly power as the Black Panther through the Black Panther god. In the comics, Namor is also a mutant and often one of the members of Marvel’s Illuminati. It’s still unclear how close Wakanda Forever will follow Namor’s comic-accurate origin, but regardless, he will still be an exciting character to see, and his inclusion alone expands the MCU in the right direction.

Every comic franchise has its version of the underwater city of Atlantis, but Marvel’s take on the mythical kingdom might be the most interesting when it’s discussed in tandem with Wakanda. Huerta, who plays anti-hero Namor, told Empire that the underwater empire will actually be called “Talocan” rather than Atlantis, and is inspired by the culture and history of Mesoamerica. Exploring this new location and diving into its lore will be just as exciting as when viewers were first introduced to Wakanda at the end of Captain America: Civil War and throughout Black Panther.

In 2012’s Avengers Vs. X-Men 7 run, Namor declares war on Wakanda and floods the kingdom. While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will not be a direct adaptation of that comic, it has already been hinted at in its trailers that Wakanda will be flooded during a conflict with Talocan, like it was during that storyline. The kingdom being washed away into the sea would be significant for several reasons: First, it would literally mean the end of Wakanda as we know it. It could also represent a renewal of the kingdom, with the passing of the Black Panther mantle to Shuri, meaning she will have to rebuild her new empire and make sense of her new role in her own way.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has the potential to be one of the most important Marvel movies to date. Until this point, almost every Marvel Phase 4 film and Disney+ franchise has been a cute solo adventure that has done little to help set up the future of the MCU. Aside from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Loki, WandaVision, and other titles of the like, Phase 4 has been a dud.

Wakanda Forever is, without question, the single most exciting property that Marvel’s Phase 4 has to offer, and the one that could save the MCU from an impending drought, thanks to the introduction of Talocan, a new Black Panther, possible Phase-level threats like Doctor Doom, and just general setup for the rest of Phase 4.