After a two-year break, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has roared back to life, dominating Disney+ with an onslaught of hit shows, storming multiplexes with Black Widow and Shang-Chi, and hijacking the internet discourse with fan theories about the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yet amid all the hype of Marvel’s Phase 4, the biggest questions hover around the hotly anticipated Black Panther 2.
The Marvel blockbuster factory has completely changed the cinematic landscape since Iron Man debuted in 2008, but none became a bona fide cultural phenomenon quite like director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther.
The afrofuturist tale of noble warrior king T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and the technologically advanced hermit nation of Wakanda wasn’t just a $1.3-billion hit, it was a zeitgeist-seizing moment for blockbuster cinema, leading to a Best Picture Oscar nomination and three Academy Awards. Its focus on strong Black characters – including Marvel’s best villain in the form of Michael B. Jordan – made it the kind of tectonic paradigm-shifter that only comes every decade or so in blockbuster cinema.
A follow-up was inevitable, but things became infinitely more complicated with the unexpected death of series star Chadwick Boseman, who succumbed to colon cancer in August 2020. Marvel kept quiet about the future of the franchise as fans mourned.
Here’s everything we know about Black Panther 2 so far.
When is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s release date?
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was originally slated for release on July 8, 2022. However, a recent shakeup at Disney has shifted the release to November 11, 2022 in the UK, US and worldwide.
Is there a Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer?
Disney unveiled the trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con event.
You can watch the trailer below and then check out the five moments to look out for in the clip, with new villains, returning heroes and speculation.
Is there a post-credit scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Early word from the world premiere is that Wakanda Forever, unusually, has only one post-credit scene. Could Marvel be holding another one back for the wider release? Better stay seated until the lights come up to be sure.
What is Rihanna’s Black Panther song?
When the surprise news broke that the new Black Panther 2 banger is by Rihanna, two thoughts sprung straight to mind: 1) thank god they didn’t pick Kanye, and 2) Wow. The anthem is called ‘Lift Me Up’ and it’s co-written by Rihanna, director Ryan Coogler and Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems. It’s Rihanna’s first solo single for six years and you can check it out below.
What is Wakanda Forever about?
The film will reportedly explore Wakanda as it opens itself to the world after generations of thriving in the shadows.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will see the nation mourn the loss of King T'Challa while also fending off attacks from under the sea as actor Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) will take on the role of Namor the Sub-Mariner, ruler of the Lost City of Atlantis.
According to a plot synopsis reported by gossip site We Got This Covered, the film will concern Namor’s quest to procure the precious metal vibranium – a resource only available in Wakanda. That could put the two kingdoms at war with one another after years of peace, and lead to chaos both above and below the water.
Who is Riri in Black Panther?
Dominique Thorn plays newbie character Riri Williams, a gifted young scientist who arrives in Wakanda and creates an Iron Man-like suit used by her superhero alter ego, Ironheart. Riri will return in her own Ironheart series on Disney+ after her debut in Wakanda Forever.
Will Chadwick Boseman appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Given parent company Disney’s history of ghoulishly resurrecting deceased actors Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher through the magic of CGI in Star Wars, many fans were concerned that Marvel would attempt to build a SFX Boseman for the new film. Those fears are apparently unfounded.
‘We’re not going to have a CG Chadwick and we’re not recasting T’Challa,’ Marvel head Kevin Feige told Deadline earlier this year.
In a separate interview with the BBC, Feige expanded on the statement, saying ‘(Boseman’s performance was) iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past… and it’s for that reason that we will not recast the character.’
As it stands, Boseman’s final live-action performance was his Oscar-nominated turn in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He does, however, appear as T’Challa courtesy of a voice performance in the Disney+ series What If…?. The show’s second episode reimagined T’Challa as an intergalactic Robin Hood type aligned with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The actor also appeared in subsequent episodes of the animated series.
Who is returning for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Coogler’s sequel will continue the story of Wakanda’s debut on the world stage, and much of the original cast will return. That includes Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s tech-genius sister Shuri, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as warrior/love interest Nakia and Angela Bassett as T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda.
The film will also mark the return of Martin Freeman’s bureaucratic Everett Ross and Winston Duke’s tribal ally M’Baku. Additionally, Danai Gurira is confirmed to return as Dora Milaje warrior Okoye, a character who will also return in an in-development Disney+ series about Wakanda’s all-female army.
Recent Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya won't be returning for the sequel.
Who is joining the Black Panther cast?
Michaela Coel has joined the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the role of Aneka, the combat instructor for the Dora Milaje, the all-female warriors of Wakanda.
The British Chewing Gum actress is best known to US audiences for her breakout role on HBO’s searing I May Destroy You and for her supporting work on the iconic Black Mirror episode USS Callister.
The film will also include If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas and the Black Messiah actress Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a character who eventually dons the armour of the heroic Ironheart. In the comics, Williams is a tech genius who builds her own version of Iron Man’s armor. How she will factor into future Marvel films – including the rumoured Young Avengers – remains under lock and key.
Who will be the new Black Panther?
Just to reiterate: Marvel will be sparing us from the horrors of a CGI Boseman, and will not re-cast the character like they did with Hulk and War Machine.
The mantle of Black Panther is an inherited one in the film and comic, a protector role adopted by T’Challa after his father’s death in Captain America: Civil War. As such, various characters within the story could already be lined up to don the Vibranium suit either through hereditary succession or worthiness.
Upon Boseman’s death, Wright’s fan-favorite Shuri became the frontrunner for the role due to a combination of smarts, humour and savvy that posited her as a more down-to-earth Tony Stark. However, Wright may have shot herself in the foot after sharing anti-vaccination misinformation online, defending herself from criticism with a defiant ‘if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled.’
Shuri hasn’t gotten the full Cara Dune treatment, but given the negative response to the actress posts – and the fact that the actress was pushing anti-science rhetoric while playing a world-class scientist – it could have hindered her chances of becoming the Panther, especially given the controversy arose as the film was reportedly being fully overhauled in the wake of Boseman’s death. But given Wright was recently hospitalized while filming a stunt in Boston, she’s likely to see some action, even if it’s not in the title role.
The film could also see Nyong’o’s Nakia rise to the hero status, a move that would keep on Marvel’s trajectory of introducing more female heroes even if it meant keeping Wright in a supporting position. Nyong’o’s character actually makes more sense as Black Panther, given her history with the Dora Milaje warrior women and her experience in global espionage. Plus, Nyong’o is a certified A-lister and powerhouse more than capable of leading a blockbuster.
The film could also grant Panther status to any number of Dora Milaje warriors, though given her spinoff is on the horizon, Gurira is an unlikely candidate. And then there’s the matter of Coel, whose role is a complete mystery that will no doubt fuel speculation that she’s the heir to Boseman’s throne.
Regardless of how the story shakes out, it’s looking like Black Panther’s, like Marvel’s, future is female.