Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Black Panther. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is a sequel to Black Panther (2018) and the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is being directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, and stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett. In the film, the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their nation in the wake of King T'Challa's death.
Plot[]
T'Challa, king of Wakanda, dies of a disease that his sister Shuri believes could have been cured by the "heart-shaped herb". Shuri has been attempting to synthetically recreate the herb after it was destroyed by Killmonger, but is unsuccessful.
A year later, Wakanda has been under pressure from other countries to share their vibranium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Ramonda implores Shuri to continue her research on the heart-shape herb, hoping to create a new Black Panther that will defend Wakanda, but she refuses as she believes the Black Panther to be a figure of the past. The CIA uses a new vibranium-detecting machine on an expedition to a potential vibranium deposit underwater. The entire search team is then attacked and killed by Namor and his blue-skinned, water-breathing people, but the CIA believes Wakanda was responsible. Namor goes to Ramonda and Shuri, easily bypassing Wakanda's advanced security. He blames Wakanda for the vibranium race, and gives them an ultimatum – find and give him the scientist responsible for the vibranium-detecting machine, or he will attack Wakanda.
Shuri and Okoye, with the help of their friend and CIA agent Everett K. Ross, go to Boston to meet the scientist responsible: an MIT student named Riri Williams. The group are chased by the FBI, and then by Namor's warriors, who defeat Okoye and take Shuri and Riri underwater to meet Namor. Ramonda strips Okoye of her duty as Dora Milaje, and seeks out Nakia, who has been living in Haiti since the Blip, for help to find Shuri and Riri. Shuri meets Namor, who shows her his underwater kingdom of Talokan, which he has protected for centuries and is rich with vibranium. Bitter at the surface world that once rejected him, Namor offers an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world, but promises to destroy Wakanda first if they refuse. Nakia helps Shuri and Riri escape, and Namor retaliates with an attack against the capital of Wakanda, during which Ramonda drowns saving Riri. Namor promises to return in a week with his full force, to see if they've changed their mind. Meanwhile, Ross is arrested by his ex-wife and director of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, for secretly exchanging classified intelligence with the Wakandans.
Shuri, using a remnant of the herb that gave Namor's people their underwater abilities, is able to synthetically reconstruct the heart-shaped herb. Shuri ingests the herb to become the new Black Panther, and, after meeting Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, is accepted by the other tribes. Despite M'Baku's advice for peace, Shuri is determined to get revenge for Ramonda's death and orders an immediate counter-attack on Namor. Preparing for battle, and with Ayo assuming the role of General of the Dora Milaje, Shuri bestows the Midnight Angel armor upon Okoye, who in return recruits Aneka to join her. The Wakandans use a seafaring vessel, the Sea Leopard, to set a trap for Namor, luring him and his warriors to the surface, and a battle ensues. Shuri separates Namor from the rest of his people, intending to dry him out and weaken him. The pair crash on a desert beach, whereupon Shuri is stabbed and pinned, but eventually breaks free. Using the engine from the crashed Royal Talon Fighter, she burns Namor and gains the upper hand, but ultimately decides to spare his life and offer him a peaceful alliance to save his people, which Namor accepts, as the battle ends. Namor's cousin, Namora, is upset at Namor yielding to Shuri, but he promises that Shuri's empathy for their people is useful, and that Wakanda needs them because it has no other allies in the world. Now safe, Riri returns to Boston, but has to leave her new suit behind to not worsen the relations between Wakanda and the United States. Okoye then rescues Ross from captivity. Shuri decides to skip the ceremony, heading to Haiti instead. M'Baku arrives at the ceremony instead declaring his wish to challenge for the throne.
In a mid-credits scene, Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti where she burns her funeral ceremonial robe like her mother wanted, allowing herself to finally grieve. She then learns that Nakia and T'Challa have a son, Toussaint, who Nakia has been raising in secret far from the pressure of the throne. Toussaint reveals his Wakandan name is T'Challa.
Cast[]
- Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
- Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia
- Danai Gurira as Okoye
- Winston Duke as M'Baku
- Florence Kasumba as General Ayo
- Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart
- Michaela Coel as Aneka
- Tenoch Huerta as Namor
- Manuel Chavez as Young Namor
- Martin Freeman as Agent Everett Ross
- Angela Bassett as Queen Mother Ramonda
- Alex Livanalli as Attuma
- Mabel Cadena as Namora
- Isaach De Bankolé as River Tribe Elder
- Dorothy Steel as Merchant Tribe Elder
- Danny Sapani as M'Kathu
- Connie Chiume as Zawavari
- Zola Williams as Yama
- Janeshia Adams-Ginyard as Nomble
- Irma-Estel Laguerre as Fen
- María Mercedes Coroy as Young Fen
- Trevor Noah as Griot (voice)
- Michael B. Jordan as N'Jadaka/Erik Killmonger
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Lake Bell as Doctor Graham
- Robert John Burke as Smitty
- Judd Wild as Jackson
- Amber Harrington as Rita Salazar
- Michael Blake Kruse as Henderson
- Travis Love as M'Bele
- Divine Love Konadu-Sun as T'Challa II
- Anderson Cooper as Himself
- Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa (archive footage; uncredited)
Future[]
Possible Sequel[]
In November 2022, Coogler and Feige were revealed to have discussed a potential third Black Panther film. In January 2023, Wright believed a third film was being considered, noting that the cast and Coogler needed "a little bit of a break... to regroup" before starting work on a third film.
Ironheart[]
In November 2022, Moore stated that the Disney+ series Ironheart would serve as a direct sequel to Wakanda Forever, with Thorne returning to reprise her role as Riri Williams. Ironheart is set to premiere in 2023.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the thirtieth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
| Black Panther |
|---|
| Black Panther (2018), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) |
| Phase Four |
|---|
| Black Widow (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) |