As Marvel released the teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the internet has gone rabid trying to figure out everything we’ve seen. Here’s Commander Shipp’s take on the trailer and what it means for Marvel going forward.
First Impressions
As an avid, but disillusioned Marvel fan, I can definitely say that Phase Four has been an interesting experience for me, if only because of how rocky and fun parts of it have been. The focus on more individual stories has really let some directors and ideas shine, even at the sacrifice of the overall continuity at moments. While Marvel has definitely some connective issues before (as much as we love the post-credit scenes, they haven’t always made narrative sense), they have always found a way to eventually get everything tied together. Upon learning that Wakanda Forever would close out Phase Four, it seemed fitting that this film would give the MCU and fans worldwide a proper opportunity to grieve the loss of Chadwick Boseman while continuing or strengthening this post-Boseman world of the MCU.
I’ve seen some chatter on Twitter regarding the exploitation of Boseman’s death in the trailer and while would seem obvious that Marvel has to give some sort of send-off to their actor, it’s possible for both ideas to be happening at the same time: such a tribute can obviously fill their bottom line and also be completely fitting for Boseman. What I would certainly fine more offensive are the calls from some fans to completely ignore the reality of what happened, it’s make little narrative sense and slaps grieving fans in the face. Losing any actor in their prime is an incredibly hard reality for the cast, crew, and studio to process and determine the best course of action for a community of fans that have at times been incredible and unnervingly rabid. I’ll grant Marvel a lot of leeway to figure this one out with those realities in mind.
Also, can we just stop and appreciate how great that transition between No Woman, No Cry into Alright was? If Marvel doesn’t immediately release that as a single, I will be vexed to say the least.
What Happens To Shuri?
So the natural inclination is that Shuri (Letitia Wright) would naturally take over her brother’s place as Black Panther, as she has done many times in the comics. I think by all accounts and reports we’ve heard, that is still going to be the case. However, the key line delivered by Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) “I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world and my entire family is gone, have I not given everything?!” that makes me think that we will at least get a death fake out for Shuri.
However, if you followed our reporting of Wakanda Forever’s production, Letitia Wright wasn’t exactly gaining favor with anyone given her odd and concerning vaccination posts on social media. If Shuri doesn’t take on the Black Panther mantle in this film, it’s entirely possible it’s less about the narrative arc and more about a lack of trust in Wright’s availability or commitment to Marvel/Disney overall.
Assuming that’s not the case, there’s a key scene of Shuri all alone in the Wakandan throne room on fire (similar to Killmonger ravaging the heart-shaped herb room). While this may be a dream sequence given what else we see in the trailer, it could indicate Shuri isn’t confident in taking on her brother’s role so soon, is struggling with her responsibilities as a new queen (or possibly Queen Ramonda doesn’t think she’s ready yet)
Riri Williams Appears
We get a shot of Riri and Shuri dapping up, and later see her doing metalwork on her Ironheart armor. We don’t know for sure how she got connected with Shuri and Wakanda, but is it possible it will be related to the schools that King T’Challa established at the end of Black Panther?
Canonically, Riri Williams is from Chicago so I would love for them to keep that backstory, and maybe the quick answer is that Wakanda established a school there too and discovered Riri, helped nurture her already incredibly talents. Though if she’s from Oakland, I don’t think that change hurts either and keeps the narrative tighter, has some spiritual significance to what T’Challa wanted, and shows his actions bearing direct fruit in the same neighborhood where King T’Chaka failed Killmonger.
Who Is The Kid?
We see a water birth early in the trailer, and at first I thought this could be the rumored child of T’Challa and Nakia (Lupita Oyong’o), but upon closer inspection, you’ll see the clothing and styling fits closer to Namor’s nation (more on that in a bit)
However later in the trailer, we get a good shot of Okoye (Danai Gurira) saving a slightly older child from water crashing into the throne room. Is it possible Nakia had her child while half of humanity was blipped away? The age could fit the child we see in this trailer, setting up an eventual son of T’Challa to take over the throne once Shuri gives up the mantle.
Namor is Here
At least stylistically, Tenoch Huerta is coming in strong with this interpretation of Namor, though it’s important to note, this version is not Atlantean exactly. Wakanda Forever’s introduction of the titular underwater king will still nod to those origins, while allowing the Marvel Universe to expand into another culture, specifically South American indigenous cultures in the Aztec. Ryan Coogler even confirmed that Atlantis wouldn’t be the city featured, instead opting to call it Talocan instead.
What remains to be seen is what role Namor is going to play in this story. In the trailer, we see soldiers that seem to be doing underwater operations, even holding Wakandan’s hostage for some heist or scheme. Is this what sets off Namor and leads a charge against humanity, leading Wakanda to step in? Are both nations being manipulated into war by a disgruntled or opportunistic third party? Will this all be one big misunderstanding between the two nations until they are able to work together?
Who’s Ass Is That?
I’m sure the internet will be analyzing that one trailer scene over and over again until November just as I am now, but maybe let’s avoid trying to measure or compare actor’s asses to get an answer, please?
With that said, let’s go over a few options of who could be wearing the gold Jaguar suit:
- The obvious answer is Killmonger; many fans floated this idea as an option when Boseman passed, but there’s also a very clear problem: our version died and without a clear way to resurrect him. However, with Phase Four focused on the multiverse, and the What If series already showing another version the character, is it really a stretch to assume we have a visitor from another Earth’s Killmonger? That does make you wonder why they are here and what their intentions are, but it could open up a whole slew of storylines for Coogler and crew to explore.
- It’s a fake out!! Marvel has been known to withhold some key details in their trailers (like the final fight in No Way Home showed only one Spiderman until we watched the film) is it possible they shot one thing and will have Shuri’s character actually show up in that frame?
- They recast T’Challa; now hear me out, I’ve stated on my various social media that I don’t want T’Challa recast right now, it’s incredibly too soon. But given the same multiverse options with Killmonger, is it possible this is simply a different T’Challa from another Earth? Would that sort of distinction give fans enough separation from the performances that Boseman gave us while also allowing the sequel and future entries enough breathing room to tell more stories with a T’Challa stand-in? While this would certainly be a difficult part to play and pull off, it could open up as many options as the Killmonger idea does and then some
- Is this T’Challa and Nakia’s child all grown up?
- They used a CGI-version of T’Challa; I find this to be the least likely option given the reverence Marvel has shown towards Boseman’s character. But this is the first high profile death in the MCU aside from Tony Stark and given Disney’s affinity to use CGI to bring back actors from the dead in Star Wars, is it possible that the productions’ hands were forced? Again, I think this would be a pretty bad look for them and put this as the least likely option, but it has to be mentioned.
Whatever the answer is, it’s possible this will be the most polarizing decision Disney/Marvel has ever made, and we’ll just have to wait until November to see what they chose.
Have thoughts on the Black Panther trailer? Agree or disagree with the theories presented here? Join the conversation over on our Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/rKtSUBn
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