Black Panther: Wakanda Forever » J-Movies

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shuri / Black Panther. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, the film stars Letitia Wright as Shuri / Black Panther, alongside Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Angela Bassett. In the film, the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their nation in the wake of King T’Challa‘s death.

Ideas for a sequel began after the release of Black Panther in February 2018. Coogler negotiated to return as director in the following months, and Marvel Studios officially confirmed the sequel’s development in mid-2019. Plans for the film changed in August 2020 when Black Panther star and T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer, with Marvel choosing not to recast his role. The return of other main cast members from the first film was confirmed that November, and the title was announced in May 2021. Filming began in late June 2021 in Atlanta, taking place at both Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios, before moving to Massachusetts in August, but was halted in November to allow Wright to recover from an injury sustained during filming. It resumed by mid-January 2022 and wrapped in late March in Puerto Rico.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 26, 2022, and was released in the United States on November 11, as the final film in Phase Four of the MCU. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $859.2 million worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2022. Wakanda Forever and Bassett’s performance received numerous awards and nominations, including five Academy Awards (winning Costume Design), one British Academy Film Award, six Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (winning two), two Golden Globe Awards (winning one), and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Plot

T’Challa, king of Wakanda, is suffering from an unspecified terminal illness which his sister Shuri believes can be cured by the “heart-shaped herb“. Shuri attempts to synthetically recreate the herb after it was burned by Erik Killmonger,^[a] but fails to do so before T’Challa dies.

A year later, Wakanda is under pressure from other nations to share their vibranium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Queen Ramonda implores Shuri to continue her research on the herb, hoping to create a new Black Panther that will defend Wakanda, but she refuses due to her belief that the Black Panther is a figure of the past. In the Atlantic Ocean, the CIA and U.S. Navy SEALs utilize a vibranium detector to locate a potential vibranium deposit underwater. The expedition is killed by a group of blue-skinned, water-breathing superhumans led by Namor, with the CIA believing Wakanda to be responsible. Namor confronts Ramonda and Shuri, easily bypassing Wakanda’s advanced security. Blaming Wakanda for the vibranium race, he gives them an ultimatum: deliver him the scientist responsible for the vibranium detector, or he will attack Wakanda.

Shuri and Okoye learn from CIA agent Everett K. Ross that the scientist in question is MIT student Riri Williams and arrive at the university to confront her. The group is pursued by the FBI and then by Namor’s warriors, who defeat Okoye before taking Shuri and Williams underwater to meet Namor. Angered by Okoye’s failure to protect Shuri, Ramonda strips her of her title as general of the Dora Milaje and seeks out Nakia, who has been living in Haiti since The Blip.^[b] Namor shows Shuri his vibranium-rich underwater kingdom of Talokan, which he has protected for centuries from discovery by the world. Bitter at the surface world for enslaving the Maya, Namor proposes an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world but threatens to destroy Wakanda if they refuse. Nakia helps Shuri and Williams escape, killing a Talokanil guard in the process, and Namor retaliates with an attack against Wakanda, during which Ramonda drowns while saving Williams. Namor vows to return with his full army, and the citizens of Wakanda relocate to the Jabari mountains for their safety. Meanwhile, Ross is arrested by his ex-wife, CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, for secretly exchanging classified intelligence with the Wakandans.

After Ramonda’s funeral, Shuri uses a remnant of the herb that gave Namor’s people their superhuman abilities to reconstruct the heart-shaped herb. She ingests it, gaining superhuman abilities and meeting Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, who urges her to seek revenge. Shuri dons a new Black Panther suit and is accepted by the other Wakandan tribes as the Black Panther. Despite M’Baku‘s urges for peace, Shuri is determined to exact vengeance on Namor for Ramonda’s death and orders an immediate counterattack on Talokan. Preparing for battle, with Ayo assuming the position of general of the Dora Milaje, Shuri bestows the Midnight Angel armor upon Okoye, who in turn recruits Dora Milaje member Aneka to join her. Williams creates an Iron Man-esque powered exoskeleton to aid the Wakandans.

Using a seafaring vessel, the Wakandans lure Namor and his warriors to the surface with another vibranium detector as a battle ensues. Shuri traps Namor in a fighter aircraft, intending to dry him out and weaken him. The pair crash on a desert beach and fight. Shuri gains the upper hand but has a vision of Ramonda and implores Namor to yield, offering him a peaceful alliance. Namor accepts, and the battle ends. Namor’s cousin, Namora, is upset at Namor’s surrender, but he assures her that the new alliance will allow them to conquer the surface world one day. Williams returns to MIT, leaving her suit behind, while Okoye rescues Ross from captivity. Shuri plants more heart-shaped herbs to ensure the future of the Black Panther mantle. In Shuri’s absence, M’Baku steps forward to challenge for the throne. Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti where she burns her funeral robe in accordance with Ramonda’s wishes, allowing herself to finally grieve for T’Challa.

In a mid-credits scene, Shuri learns that Nakia and T’Challa had a son named Toussaint, whom Nakia has been raising in secret. Toussaint reveals his Wakandan name is T’Challa.

Cast

• Letitia Wright as Shuri / Black Panther:
  The princess of Wakanda who designs new technology for the nation.^[6] Wright was given a larger role in the film following the death of Chadwick Boseman, who starred in previous MCU media as Shuri’s older brother T’Challa / Black Panther.^[7] Wright said Shuri turns to her technology as a way to grieve T’Challa.^[8]

• Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia:
  A former War Dog, an undercover spy for Wakanda, from the River Tribe.^[7] Nyong’o said Nakia has “matured” following both the Blip and the death of T’Challa, explaining that her character’s “priorities have shifted and sharpened” while adding that Nakia still remains “the one you want to call when you’re in trouble”.^[9]

• Danai Gurira as Okoye:
  The general of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-female special forces, and a former Avenger. Okoye later takes on the mantle of the Midnight Angels, along with Aneka. It is revealed in the film that Okoye’s husband, W’Kabi, was imprisoned following the events of Black Panther (2018).^[10] Gurira said the film would explore “many facets” of Okoye’s humanity.^[11]

• Winston Duke as M’Baku:
  A powerful warrior and leader of Wakanda’s mountain tribe, the Jabari.^[7] Duke indicated that following the Jabari’s involvement in the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the tribe is no longer isolated from the rest of Wakanda. He also felt M’Baku was trying to figure “out how to move forward” in this new world for Wakanda, much like many in the real world were trying to do in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12]

• Florence Kasumba as Ayo: A member and the second-in-command who later becomes the general of the Dora Milaje after Okoye is stripped of her duties. She is romantically involved with Aneka.^[13]

• Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams:
  An MIT student and genius inventor from Chicago who creates a suit of armor that rivals the one built by Tony Stark / Iron Man.^[14][8] Director Ryan Coogler noted that Williams is a foil to Shuri, adding “there’s a thread of similarity” between the two, but they are “also very, very different”,^[15] with Williams and Shuri’s relationship representing a similar exploration of the “diversity of the Black experience” as T’Challa and Killmonger’s relationship did in Black Panther.^[8]

• Michaela Coel as Aneka:
  A Wakandan warrior and member of the Dora Milaje. Aneka later takes upon the mantle of the Midnight Angels, along with Okoye. Aneka is romantically involved with Ayo.^[8] Coel was drawn to the character being queer as in the comics, and Coogler described Aneka as “kind of a rebel”.^[16]

• Mabel Cadena as Namora: Namor’s cousin.^[13]

• Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor:
  The king of Talokan, an ancient civilization of underwater dwelling people,^[17][15] who refer to him as the feathered serpent god K’uk’ulkan.^[18] Huerta said Namor decides to get involved in the surface world after T’Challa publicly reveals the truth of Wakanda at the end of the first film, which consequently puts Talokan in “jeopardy”, leading Namor and his people to “take action to protect themselves”. Huerta also confirmed that the character is a mutant as in the comics.^[19] Huerta called Namor an anti-hero,^[20] explaining that it was important to both him and Coogler to humanize the character by making his motivations understandable despite him having an antagonistic role in the film.^[21] Coogler was enthused to include Namor’s “really unique features” from the comics, including his ankle wings and pointy ears.^[15] He also described the character as “kind of an asshole, kind of romantic, and just incredibly powerful”.^[8] Huerta learned the Yucatec Maya language for the role,^[22] as well as how to swim.^[23]

• Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross: An agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who has previous ties to Wakanda.^[24]

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: The new director of the CIA and the ex-wife of Ross.^[25]

• Angela Bassett as Ramonda:
  The Sovereign Queen regnant of Wakanda who is grieving the death of her son T’Challa.^[7] Bassett explained that Ramonda would be trying to balance leading her people, being a mother to Shuri, and keeping threats to Wakanda “at bay”, all while grieving the death of T’Challa, which is “a lot for her to handle”.^[8] While Bassett was initially unhappy with Ramonda being killed off in the film, Coogler reassured her that death is not necessarily permanent in the MCU, and she felt that it was possible for her character to return in the future, similar to how people were brought back to life following the Blip in Endgame.^[26]

Additionally, Michael B. Jordan reprises his MCU role as N’Jadaka / Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, T’Challa and Shuri’s cousin.^[27] Returning from Black Panther are Isaach de Bankolé, Danny Sapani, and Dorothy Steel (in her final, posthumous role) as the Wakandan River Tribe,^[28] Border Tribe,^[29] and Merchant Tribe elders,^[30] respectively; Connie Chiume reprises her role as Zawavari, previously the Mining Tribe Elder, but now the Elder Statesman, taking over the role held by Zuri in the first film;^[29] and comedian Trevor Noah also reprises his voice role as Shuri’s A.I. Griot.^[31] Alex Livinalli portrays the Talokanil warrior Attuma,^[13] while María Mercedes Coroy portrays Princess Fen, Namor’s mother.^[32] Lake Bell (who previously voiced Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in Marvel Studios’ animated series What If…?) and Robert John Burke appear as Dr. Graham and Smitty, respectively, a pair of CIA officials in charge of the vibranium mining operation.^[33][34] Richard Schiff appears as the U.S. Secretary of State,^[35] while Kamaru Usman appears as a naval officer.^[36][37] Archival footage from previous MCU films of Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther is used in the film’s ending,^[38] with Divine Love Konadu-Sun appearing as T’Challa II / Toussaint, T’Challa and Nakia’s son.^[39] CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper appears as himself reporting on the Wakandan activities.^[40]

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