Wakanda Forever!

Let's be honest here, this newest phase of the MCU was mixed at best. The popular cinematic universe seems to be struggling to find its voice after Endgame, and no wonder why: the status quo was changed forever with characters like Tony Stark or Steve Rogers now out of the picture and with the Multiverse slowly creeping its way onto the big and small screens alike.

Phase Four introduced many new characters, with more or less success, but what everyone wanted to know was how the old favourites coped with life after the events of Endgame. We had heartfelt boat-fixing as well as slightly less heartfelt taking a small town hostage. This was all expected, we knew that Wanda will show up again to live a life after The Vision's death. We knew that Sam Wilson will eventually become the new Captain America. Things were more or less on track.

What nobody was expecting was Chadwick Boseman's death. MCU's T'Challa died from cancer in 2020, abruptly, leaving fans in shock. In the early days, nobody knew what's gonna happen to his character, though people seemed to agree that the best way to honour Chadwick's legacy as the Black Panther was not to recast the character. Which eventually became the studio's decision, too. Smarter people than I am wrote and will write about what Chadwick and his character meant for black people all around the world, about how much the movie Black Panther did for representation in mainstream cinema.

It was not a question if they should go ahead with the Panther franchise. It was important, maybe more than ever, as this was also the year of George Floyd's death and the born of the Black Lives Matter movement. T'Challa or not, they couldn't just axe the next Black Panther movie. It wouldn't have been right for many, many reasons.

So the question emerged: how do you continue a story if you cannot use the main character anymore?

The answer is: respectfully. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever first and foremost is respectful. It pays tribute to King T'Challa and through him to Chadwick Boseman, too, and does that without letting the absence of the former main character drive the entire plot (looking at you, Far From Home. Yes, we all missed Tony, but you overdid it.).

We are a year after T'Challa's untimely (and heartbreaking) death, and the world is ready to take what Wakanda has to offer with or without its consent. Because attacking the technically most advanced nation on the planet is apparently a smart thing to do. Things did not go as planned (shocking!) and even though the Panther is no more, Wakanda protects its assets once again. That is. until the evil Americans find another source of vibranium. It's under not only the ocean but the semi-magical kingdom of Talokan, home of people we don't really get to know during the movie. Their king, Namor, who is a powerful mutant, blames Wakanda: if they didn't reveal the existence of vibranium to the world, Talokan wouldn't be in danger now. After Princess Shuri refuses to help him burn the world or kill the new Iron Man (an American teenager, Riri Williams, who hammered together a working Iron Man suit prototype using scraps and leftover parts, and who goes by Iron Heart) it's up to Shuri to protect Wakanda from Talokan and from the rest of the world.

And thus, the Black Panther lives! Shuri takes up the mantle, no surprise there. What is intriguing about this is that she has to choose a way: what kind of Panther is she's gonna be? Will she take after her father, respecting the will of the ancestors? Or after T'Challa, carefully facing the future? Or maybe after her cousin, Killmonger, who thinks power is the only language the world understands?

This movie, while far from perfect, is easily one of the best projects Marvel gave us in the last few years, right up with No Way Home. Built on a tragically broken foundation, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced an impossible task and still delivered. Yes, the soundtrack isn't as good as it was in the first movie. Yes, the movie's visuals are unnecessarily dark. Yes, character designs were a little weird, especially when it came to armours (Okoye's Midnight Angel suit was... A sight to behold, to say the least.). Yes, Iron Heart was merely a plot device, and yes, Namor's ankle wings are as ridiculous as it gets. Still, we got a worthy sequel to the first Panther movie, something that hopefully will keep Chadwick Boseman's legacy and the Black Panther alive in the MCU for the years to come.