Let’s evaluate the candidates.
Vibranium claws have been brought to light in the MCU, as fans finally got a glimpse of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
San Diego Comic-Con gave us a glimpse of the rumored arrival of Tenoch Huerta as Namor, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, and a heartbreaking tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman (his co-star Martin Freeman has explained what it’s like to shoot ‘Black Panther 2’ without Chadwick Boseman)
Between tears and an aesthetic to ‘Avatar: The sense of water’, it has been confirmed in the first trailer that someone else has donned the Black Panther suit in the film.
Following the tragic passing of Boseman in 2020, the question of who will take up the mantle of the new Black Panther has become a big question. Now that we know we’ll know the answer in ‘Wakanda Forever’, Let’s evaluate the candidates.
Shuri (Letitia Wright)
Although the MCU tends to use only the Marvel Comics source material as a starting point, the idea of T’Challa’s little sister stepping up is an arc pulled straight from the panels.
In the comics, Shuri takes on the role of Black Panther when T’Challa is attacked by a group of supervillains known as the Cabal (including Namor) and is left in a coma. At first, Shuri is unable to bond with the sacred heart-shaped grass to become Black Panther, but after a noble sacrifice, he officially obtains the powers from it.
In the MCU, Killmonger destroyed the heart-shaped grass during the first movie. However, the book ‘The Wakanda Files’ confirms that Shuri has been trying to recreate her without success.
Following Letitia Wright’s long-awaited return to the set of ‘Black Panter 2,’ the trailer shows off a new suit, and as Shuri’s skills in the lab have helped create T’Challa’s suit, it’s clear she’s a botanist in the making. budding, besides being good with the sewing machine.
M’Baku (Winston Duke)
Another popular idea was that Winston Duke’s M’Baku would come down from the mountains to rule Wakanda.
From what we’ve seen in the trailer, Angela Bassett is sitting on the throne, which means the head of the Jabari hasn’t taken a seat (yet). However, some have speculated that Ramonda’s (Bssett) powerful speech takes place in a flashback during the snap.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Duke was going to have a “broader role” in ‘Wakanda Forever,’ but does that really mean he’s going to be the lead? From what little we’ve seen of the new ‘Black Panther,’ the person inside the suit doesn’t appear to have the same imposing physique as Duke.
Technically, M’Baku may not even be the next Black Panther because the Jabari worship the gorilla god Hanuman instead of the panther god, Bast.
Okoye (Danai Gurira)
Trading zombies from ‘The Walking Dead’ for Marvel movies, Danai Gurira’s Okoye has become a fan favorite of the franchise.
As one of the few who wasn’t eliminated during the snap, Okoye had a (slightly) larger role in Avengers: Endgame. Here, the fearsome leader of the Dora Milaje said that she was “handling” a problem in the middle of the ocean, something directly related to Namor.
Okoye certainly has the skills to cast aside his spear in favor of Black Panther’s cowl. However, it is to be expected that his story in ‘Wakanda Forever’ will include Michaela Coel’s Aneka, the combat instructor of the Dora Milaje and a member of the Midnight Angels.
Okoye will most likely return to battle, but will remain a supporting cast member.
Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)
Yes, we know that Erik Killmonger perished before the credits for the original Black Panther rolled, but since when does death stop someone in the MCU?
Killmonger was lauded for breaking that infamous curse of MCU villains and is widely praised as one of the best. It is true that Killmonger technically deserved to inherit the government of Wakanda and if he has returned, surely he has turned the page.
Jordan is no stranger to portraying Killmonger, having voiced the character in two episodes of ‘What If…?’ Will the actor repeat in ‘What If…? two’?
‘Wakanda Forever’ may not seem like the kind of movie that will delve into the Multiverse, but with ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, Marvel’s most surreal sequel gifting us to the Illuminati, it’s possible that an alternate Killmonger could be. one to the party instead of resurrecting the old one.
Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o)
Someone who has been quietly watching from the sidelines is Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia. Since she didn’t participate in ‘Infinity War’ or ‘Endgame’, the last time we saw Nakia was when she helped T’Challa open up Wakanda to the world.
In the ‘Wakanda Forever’ trailer, we see Nakia looking longingly at the ocean and apparently mourning T’Challa’s death. The most observant believe that the shot actually belongs to the end of the film, with Nakia set to assume the Black Panther name full time.
Like Okoye, we’ve seen that Nakia is skilled at fighting, but with an added factor: her ties to T’Challa due to their romance would take a heartwarming twist. Like the Valkyrie of Tessa Thompson, the queen of New Asgard, Nakia also has the political savvy to lead Wakanda into a new era.
This would be a big change from the comics, where Nakia becomes the villainous Malice. Although it seems unlikely that the heroic Nakia will become a villain, we’ve already seen it with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo.
Whoever takes on the honor of being the next Black Panther is sure to flex in a purported lineup in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ or ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ that could include everyone from Spider -Man to Captain Marvel (we will have to wait in ‘The Marvels’ to check it). Place your bets.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
