Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows in its predecessor’s footsteps as the breaker of impressive records. However, one record we prefer it hadn’t broken was the amount of time it took for the movie to release on streaming. With the sequel finally available to watch on Disney Plus, further Black Panther-related content is at the forefront of fans’ minds.
Following Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing in 2020, the Black Panther movies faltered into a brief limbo, engendering skepticism as to whether it could carry on without its leading man. Eventually, it was decided that the story would continue, if not to carry on Boseman’s legacy, then to carry on the legacy of the character he brought to life. As we learned from Wakanda Forever, T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) took up the mantle of the Black Panther.
With the second installment ending on something of a cliffhanger, the question of a third feels like less of a question and more of a guarantee. However, as of this writing, Marvel has not confirmed the threequel, even though its leading star accidentally let slip the film may already be in production. What does that mean for future Black Panther-related content? Well, there’s good news and bad.
The next Black Panther-related project will be Ironheart
The project currently closest to the finish line is Ironheart. The six-episode Disney Plus series has been confirmed by Marvel to release in the Fall of 2023, making it the next Black Panther-related project following Wakanda Forever.
Information about the show (i.e. trailer, synopsis, cast, etc.) has been closely-guarded. For now, all we know is that it’ll see Dominique Thorne reprise her role as the super-genius M.I.T. student Riri Williams.
In the comics, Riri Williams reverse-engineered Tony Stark’s Ironman suit and received his blessing to pick up the mantle to become a superhero in her right. Since Robert Downey Jr.’s Stark sacrificed himself at the end of Avengers: Endgame, his blessing did not occur in Wakanda Forever, but Riri nonetheless succeeded in reverse engineering his Ironman suit, officially becoming Ironheart.
Her development of the vibranium metal detector that kick-started Wakanda Forever’s plot will likely come into play during her Disney Plus series since vibranium continues to dominate the conversion in the MCU. Anything beyond that will have to wait for further details.
But what about the Black Panther spinoff about Okoye?
Before Wakanda Forever even hit theaters, director Ryan Coogler signed an exclusive five-year deal with The Walt Disney Company under his Proximity Media company. The deal included a Wakanda spin-off series starring fan-favorite Dora Milaje general Okoye (Danai Gurira), a casting announcement confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
Unfortunately, due to the filming of Wakanda Forever and Ironheart, the Wakanda spinoff has been put on the back burner, confirmed by producer Nate Moore.
Ryan Coogler himself has commented on his own trouble with juggling multiple projects at once and let’s be honest, he has a lot going on. In an interview with Gizmodo, he said, “I’m not the world’s greatest multitasker,” claiming that he has to “finish what’s in front of me and then think of all that is happening after that.”
All that to say, it’ll be awhile before we get a Wakanda spinoff, let alone a Black Panther 3. For now, our best bet is to keep our sights trained on more news about Ironheart. Stay tuned for updates.
