‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Will Prince T’Challa be the next Black Panther?

Warning: The following article contains massive spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Now that we’ve had a chance to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we have a better understanding of what the future holds for Shuri and the nation built on vibranium. However, there’s one question that is a little bit up in the air.

Judging by the fact that you’ve clicked on this article, we’re hoping you’ve already seen the film, or you just want it intentionally spoiled. But if you haven’t, avert your eyes and forget everything you saw up until this point – the movie’s great, so go see it. We’re going in hot from the next paragraph.

Spoilers ahead.

The film’s mid-credits scene picks up moments after the credits started rolling, with Nakia approaching Shuri with a young boy who turns out to be her and T’Challa’s son, named after the late Black Panther, albeit going by his Haitian name Toussaint on the day to day.

Nakia explains that she and T’Challa agreed to raise Toussaint in Haiti following his death, to shelter him from the pressures of life as a Wakandan royalty and his father’s successor, which of course begs the question…

What’s in store for Toussaint?

Considering that Shuri has taken up the mantle of Black Panther, and Toussaint is six years old when he first appears, we doubt that she will be handing the reins over to a child anytime soon. As adorable as he might look in the outfit, he’ll hardly be an effective warrior against the likes of Namor and Killmonger.

T’Challa does in fact have a son in an alternate universe in the Marvel comics, but he is fathered by Storm rather than Nakia, so there isn’t a whole lot to be gleaned from the source material as to what the future may hold for the young prince.

If we were to speculate, perhaps a seed has been planted by Ryan Coogler, Kevin Feige, and the other Marvel decision-makers for the young actor, Divine Love Konadu-Sun, playing Toussaint. Maybe, he is set to take up Chadwick Boseman’s mantle way down the line, perhaps in around twenty or so year’s time.

But until that happens, Shuri is the new Black Panther, while the state of Wakanda’s leadership remains uncertain.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently running in theaters.