The sequel to Black Panther navigates through the void that the absence of T’Challa supposes in the protagonists, but it is Shuri who has to make the decision that marks the saga.
Spoilers for the end of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ below
Shuri has not always been the most beloved character in the ‘Black Panther’ universe, although she takes center stage in ‘Black Panther 2’, one of the best films of 2022. And the same can be said of Letitia Wright, who has faced quite a few controversies these last few years. Clearly fans had Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda, and even Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger on higher pedestals.
However, Marvel’s decision, evidenced from the poster where she took center stage, was to give Shuri the spotlight so tragically lost to Chadwick Boseman..
And no, we’re not just talking about Shuri is the one to become the new Black Panther of Wakanda. That decision was also more or less obvious in terms of the narrative of the series, after all she is the only one left of the royal family and the smartest person in the country. But we don’t talk about who gets the black panther suit. We mean occupying the center of the story. Neither T’Challa’s mother nor love receives the same attention for her grief as her sister. It is in Shuri where the film focuses its main plot, how to overcome a loss like T’Challa’s.
While the mother and partner of the deceased board him, more or less, well, it’s Shuri who sinks. The reason is simple, he couldn’t replicate the grass of Black Panther that he would have saved his brother. It was her, at least to herself, that failed, that she couldn’t do what she had to do to save her older brother’s life. Her duel is therefore the most complex for Marvel and the one worth exploring. The reason is simple, this loss feeds the latent dark side in Shuri and leaves us wondering if Shuri could go over to the dark side.
Shuri, as Namor hears her, sometimes just wants to watch the world burn. Therefore, when she receives the herbs from Black Panther, the ancestor she finds is Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, a Marvel villain with fairly coherent ideas about the world. She, she confesses to him, wants revenge, wants to kill Namor while she begs him. She is definitely not her brother..
We skip straight to Shuri’s fight against Namor. After taking him away from the water and drying him, Namor feels bad and loses his strength. Despite having pierced Shuri’s abdomen with a vibranium spear, she manages to stand up and threaten her enemy with death. There is her mother’s revenge, the revenge of every Wakandan who has died fighting the Talokan people.
However, he forgives him. Why? Well, because he’s just like his brother, T’Challa.. This is the moment, funerals aside, in which Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pays the most homage to his previous protagonist. We didn’t meet T’Challa in Black Panther, we met him in ‘Civil War’ determined to kill Bucky, the Winter Soldier, for having killed his father. However, T’Challa not only ended up forgiving him, but he welcomed him into Wakanda and the world of good guys, Wakanda included, gained an ally. Just as T’Challa forgave the murderer of the King of Wakanda, Shuri forgives the murderer of the Queen of Wakanda, one forgave the murderer of his father and the other his mother.
That is not only the moment when Shuri is saved, when she manages to advance. She remains, because of her, the post-credits scene of ‘Wakanda Forever’, and her tears to the sound of Rihanna. That is also the moment when Shuri becomes a worthy Black Panther, a worthy successor to T’Challa.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is already on Disney +. And yes, we are already looking forward to ‘Black Panther 3’.
Source: Fotogramas
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
