Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a heavy weight to carry. Not only does the sequel have to properly say goodbye to the late Chadwick Boseman‘s King T’Challa/Black Panther and properly honor him, but other characters have to step to the forefront. This incidentally provides an opportunity for the women of Black Panther to give audiences an experience never before.
The women of Wakanda will be leading the charge and this is truly breaking new ground. The Ryan Coogler-directed film will feature many Black women and women of color in key roles driving the story forward and it’s a sight to behold. A mainstream superhero movie hasn’t done this before and it’s a powerfully necessary move to make that can inspire the world just like the first Black Panther.
Returning to the franchise are Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Letitia Wright as Shuri, and Danai Gurira as Okoye. Joining the cast is Michaela Coel as Aneka, the Dora Milaje combat instructor, and Mabel Cadena as Namora, Namor’s cousin. This female-centric lineup offers a whole new world of possibility in Wakanda Forever. Here are some of the threads the new story could pick up.
Queen Ramonda
Everybody knows that Angela Bassett is going to absolutely demolish this performance as Queen Ramonda, the mother of the fallen King T’Challa in the Black Panther sequel. Her stirring speech at the United Nations from the first Wakanda Forever trailer already feels Oscar-worthy and she’ll have to bear the burden of the loss of her son to the whole world. In the first movie, Romanda, Shuri, Nakia, and Agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) attempt to save T’Challa’s life after he’s defeated and put into a coma by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). She shows strength, leadership, and effectiveness in highly stressful situations. At one point, she makes an herbal drink that’s given to T’Challa and when he’s buried in the snow as he enters the ancestral plane. She’s not one to cower in difficult times, and the loss of her son will be the most difficult one yet.
Collider revealed an exclusive clip from Wakanda Forever that showed Ramonda at the United Nations being questioned about Wakanda’s vibranium. The highly sought-after resource is a rare metal that can absorb sound waves and other vibrations and it gives Wakanda the ability to maintain its power. She’s asked why Wakanda doesn’t trade its “resources” with other nations and vibranium is said to be a potential weapon of mass destruction, but Ramonda won’t sway from her stance. Wakanda will not trade their vibranium because outsiders could misuse it. She’s aware that those in power think Wakanda is weak with their king gone, but she affirms that the nation is still strong. With the global spotlight on Wakanda, it will be up to Ramonda to maintain its legacy and protect it from those who seek to steal from them.
Nakia
Nakia proved how formidable she was from the very beginning. She’s a freedom fighter who went undercover to stop traffickers from smuggling people, and she was the ex-girlfriend of T’Challa, who still had great affection for her. He tried to convince her to stay home in Wakanda, but she felt like she could do more for people outside of her home. This is where she clashed with T’Challa’s ideology. She believed Wakanda should do more to help the world and not remain hidden with so much suffering happening, but T’Challa wanted to uphold their traditions. It worked for a long time and he didn’t think it was necessary to change things now.
In the end, T’Challa asks Nakia to stay with him, and the two kiss, confirming they’re back on. T’Challa, Nakia, and Shuri arrive at the U.N. and T’Challa announces that Wakanda will come out of hiding to help the world become a better place. Based on the aforementioned scene with Queen Ramonda at the U.N., things aren’t moving smoothly. Not only will Nakia be suffering after the loss of her love, she might be struggling with the harsh truth that this is what T’Challa warned her about. There’s a reason why Wakanda remained a secret for so long, so on top of mourning the loss, she could be questioning her own methods in trying to save the world.
Shuri
Shuri is T’Challa’s whipsmart kid sister. Her technological prowess is unprecedented, developing equipment, and vehicles, and upgrading the Black Panther suit with panther-styled Vibranium Gauntlets that fired powerful sonic blasts, and she held her own. She could even potentially be the next Black Panther if the movie decides to go that way. At the end of the first movie, T’Challa and Shuri go to Oakland and reveal their ship to kids playing basketball. She teaches them about the technology it uses, hinting at the young woman being more open to sharing the knowledge she holds.
Shuri will likely be feeling a great amount of guilt following the passing of her brother. She was his first line of defense as his weapon expert and mission operator. She’s there with him every step of the way and that connection is now lost. She too could be feeling lost and unsure of what direction to go in. She was very sure of herself in the first movie, but now, it’s hard to imagine her not being shaken after these terrible events. Shuri will meet young inventor Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) who has a brilliant mind like Shuri, but she won’t be an exact copy. Riri will be very different from Shuri, and it’s possible we’ll see how Shuri handles the leadership role. Perhaps she’s picked up tips from her brother that she can then impart to the new technological hotshot, thus keeping his spirit alive.
Okoye
Okoye was the tough-as-nails Dora Milaje general. She was fierce and loyal and believed in King T’challa and Wakanda wholeheartedly. She goes on an undercover mission in Busan with T’Challa, but once their cover is compromised, they have to fight their way out. She’s the definition of badass in these scenes, using the incredibly durable Wakandan Spears and going on a high-speed chase. Things went from bad to worse when her lover W’Kabi turned against the kingdom and she had to decide between her homeland and her partner. She chose Wakanda in the end, proving she’ll make the hard decisions when she has to.
It will be interesting to see where Okoye is in Wakanda Forever. She was T’Challa’s confidante and didn’t always agree with Nakia’s methods. This tragedy could bring them together, or push them apart depending on what they think is best for Wakanda. In the trailer, Okoye is seen crying and we see an empty throne. Not only is there a vacuum in the absence of T’Challa, but she’s also lost her good friend. It could be a hint that it’s Okoye who’s meant to take up the mantle. She’s already battle-tested and has ample amounts of respect for their nation and the role of the Black Panther.
Published: Oct 3, 2022 05:43 pm