Was there really any other option besides Letitia Wright’s Shuri to assume the mantle of the title hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? After all, we’d been hearing for years prior to Chadwick Boseman’s passing last summer that the long game was for his onscreen kid sister to suit up eventually, much like her comic book counterpart.
Despite the source material putting it right there for everyone to see, though, several other candidates have all been touted at one stage or another. That included Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Winston Duke’s M’Baku and even Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, but the MCU has always leaned heavily on comic book history for inspiration, so it was never really in any doubt that the throne was Shuri’s to take.
A recent report offered that Wright had inked a multi-picture contract extension to carry her through several more projects, which has in turn emboldened fans to believe with more conviction than ever that Wright is going to become Wakanda’s next superpowered protector, as you can see below.
It would appear that those erroneous rumors about her social media controversies potentially getting her fired were a million miles wide of the mark, when she now appears set on headlining the sequel to one of the most culturally important and commercially successful blockbusters of the modern era. Of course, Wright would much rather Boseman was still here to lead Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and replacing him comes with a different kind of pressure altogether.
