On May 22, 2018, the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced fans to the world of Wakanda and the story of T’Challa, Black Panther and the king of Wakanda. The movie was very successful, scoring $1.35B at the box office and earned three Oscars, along with a nomination for best picture. However, the sequel to the movie, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ will look very different, following the actor who played T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death on August 28, 2020. 

Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer at the age of 43 years old. Despite his death, director Ryan Coogler opted not to recast him. Instead, the movie will pay tribute to him and there will be a new Black Panther. Who it is hasn’t been confirmed yet, but judging by the shots shown in the trailer, all signs point to Shuri, played by Letitia Wright. In the movie, Shuri is T’Challa’s sister and is one of the main characters. Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe is inspired by the comics, Shuri probably makes the most sense due to her being the Black Panther on occasion in the comics.

Ryan Coogler, who is often praised for his work in Black Panther, looks like he has done it again with the plot for the sequel. The movie takes place back in Wakanda and throughout the movie, there will be a war between Wakanda and the underwater city of Atlantis, ruled by Namor who is the antagonist of the film. Namor was a common enemy of Black Panther in the comics, so by making him the villain, it looks like they’re continuing to be consistent with taking details from the comics.

The loss of Chadwick Boseman will undoubtedly make it very bittersweet for the big fans of the 2018 film. However, there is good reason to believe that the sequel will live up to the hype like the original movie did.