As always, it didn’t take long for fans to turn on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as soon as it hit Disney Plus, sparking up conversation about it all over again. From poor CGI to a badly developed villain, MCU fans can be incredibly unkind in their movie commentary. Still, the power of Wakanda Forever as a moving tribute to Chadwick Boseman has thankfully remained generally immune to criticism, and recent confirmation by director Ryan Coogler of the presence of unseen footage of the late original Black Panther in the film has only made it more emotional.
When Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began production, Chadwick Boseman had already left us, but Coogler knew that including never-before-seen footage of the actor in the film would finally confirm his and his character’s underlying presence felt throughout the film. The short clip features in the montage at the end of the film when Shuri symbolically concludes her grieving process by burning her funeral garb. Some memorable moments shared between T’Challa and his sister flash across the screen, but the last solo shot of T’Challa had never been released to audiences.
In the official commentary for the film, Coogler says “that was one of my favorite shots then that we didn’t get to use in the movie,” prompting cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw to remark: “It’s a good smile.” Yes. Yes it was.
This new tidbit about the film has brought out the kinder side of the fandom, who have nothing but love to give Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available to stream now on Disney Plus.
