A midnight black suit, slashing claws, unrelenting honour… what does it take to be the Black Panther? Whatever it is, the late Chadwick Boseman had managed to portray all that and so much more.
Soon, we’ll be returning to the exhilarating world of Wakanda in the upcoming film Wakanda Forever, set to release Australia-wide on November 10. This news has left fans undoubtedly excited, but also with a plethora of questions. We’re breaking down what we’re most looking forward to in the latest instalment of Black Panther.
I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve all been anxiously watching promotional material in order to find out who the new Panther is. But the jury is still (relatively) out on who the new Black Panther will be. It has been established through Marvel that Chadwick Boseman’s role as T’Challa will not be re-cast, so we’re all waiting to find out who steps up to be the next hero. Many have speculated that Letitia Wright’s Shuri or Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia are the most likely candidates. With fans excitedly pouring over content and analysing the new suit, there’s no doubt this reveal has to be one of the biggest parts of the film.
Whoever the new Black Panther is, we’re anticipating a new approach that’s different to Boseman’s Panther who we know and love. And with new heroes and angles, come new villains. The trailers have introduced a new villain for Wakanda to handle in the form of Namor, who is played by Tenoch Huerta. While Namor’s intentions and storyline are said to not exactly follow those of the comics, he will pose an interesting new threat to Wakanda.
Namor is the king of his own hidden kingdom, and he too is steeped in his own culture, power, and politics. The conflict throughout Wakanda Forever seems to focus largely on the war between these two kingdoms. Audiences are excited to see what Namor’s motivations and goals are, and of course, how our protagonists will handle him.
Wakanda Forever’s protagonists, I feel, will make or break the film. With returning characters like Shuri, Nakia, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, and Winston Duke’s M’Baku all returning, we want to see how their arcs continue with the loss of T’Challa and the evident rising tensions. Without T’Challa to lead, how will they maintain their structure and loyalties? Hopefully all these burning questions will be answered as the Black Panther universe continues to grow.
And of course, we are all very excited to see the first on-screen debut of Ironheart, played by Riri Williams. She makes a brief but exciting appearance in trailers, in a suit reminiscent of the hero we adore, Iron Man. With an Ironheart TV show coming up on Disney Plus in 2023, we want to see how Marvel introduces the young hero into the MCU and what role she plays in Wakanda Forever.
Representation and diversity are so important in the media right now, and we’re glad to see the return of such an inclusive cast. For audiences who don’t often get to see themselves represented in media, the return of the Black Panther and Wakanda is always an exciting moment. The Black Panther universe will always remain a place to see minorities represented as courageous, intelligent, and capable people.
With the return of its outstanding cast, heroes, and villains, it’s evident that the hype is, indeed, real. Wakanda Forever is sure to have a lot in store for fans, and we can’t wait to see it!
