Following Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death in 2020, Black Panther (2018) director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole reworked the sequel to honor the late actor and his incredible legacy as T’Challa. While audiences are still processing Boseman’s untimely death, the sequel will see the people of Wakanda mourning the death of King T’Challa while defending their country from invading forces led by Namor, the King of Talocan.
To honor Boseman’s legacy as T’Challa, the Black Panther mantle will be passed on to another character in Wakanda Forever. T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri, is the most obvious choice. Shuri not only became the Black Panther in the comics but leaked LEGO sets indicate that the MCU will do the same. Shuri’s vibranium gauntlets are also seen on a female Black Panther in Wakanda Forever footage, indicating that Marvel is no longer concerned with concealing Shuri’s identity as the new Black Panther.
New footage has surfaced indicating that T’Challa’s successor’s story is not over. A new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer titled Time was recently released by Marvel. And it actually shows two Black Panther helmets side by side.
See it for yourself at 0:28:
The new trailer confirms the theory that T’Challa will have multiple successors in the sequel by revealing the two helmets. Considering that Shuri is almost certainly the next Black Panther, it’s possible that other characters will don the suit in the upcoming sequel.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in U.S. theaters on November 11, 2022.
