“No Woman, No Cry”: Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Easter Eggs and Hidden Details You May Have Missed

This article is part of the entertainment column “The Daily Bugle” Breaking down the emotional Marvel Studios sequel to one of the most impactful MCU films to date. Included are hidden details and easter eggs you may have missed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is only in theaters now!! Please note that Wakanda Forever as well as this article deals with heavy topics surrounding the passing of a beloved Marvel Legend, the great, Chadwick Boseman.

%E2%80%9CNo+Woman%2C+No+Cry%3A+Marvel+Studios%E2%80%99+Black+Panther%3A+Wakanda+Forever+Easter+Eggs+and+Hidden+Details+You+May+Have+Missed

Val Kohan, Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Columnist

DISCLAIMER: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!! 

Please do not continue reading this article if you intend on seeing the movie since it does contain major Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spoilers (originally released exclusively in theaters on November 11th, 2022).

“Dedicated to our friend, our inspiration, and our hero Chadwick Boseman.” 

PREVIOUS ARTICLES 

(SPOILER FREE) Go check out a previous Black Panther article, “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Official Trailer Breakdown and Hidden Details”, which breaks down the emotional two minutes trailer of the sequel to Black Panther. 

https://talonnews.org/1009/entertainment/marvel-studios-black-panther-wakanda-forever-official-trailer-breakdown-and-hidden-details/

(MAJOR SPOILERS) Go check out a previous Black Panther article, “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Movie Review”, where Val Kohan critically reviews the emotional Marvel Studios sequel to one of the most impactful MCU films to date. Please note that Wakanda Forever as well as this article deals with heavy topics surrounding the passing of a beloved Marvel Legend, the great, Chadwick Boseman. 

https://talonnews.org/1752/entertainment/marvel-studios-black-panther-wakanda-forever-movie-review-and-breakdown/

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Cast

The cast includes Chadwick Boseman as our King of Wakanda himself, King T’Challa AKA Black Panther in re-used footage from Black Panther as well as Letitia Wright (Princess Shuri), Tenoch Huerta (King Namor the Submariner/K’uk’ulkan), Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda), Danai Gurira (Okyoe), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross), Dominique Thorne (Riri Williams/IronHeart), Florence Kasumba (Ayo), Michaela Coel (Aneka), Mabel Cadena (Namora), Alex Livinalli (Attuma), and with a surprise cameos by Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), Anderson Cooper as himself, and introducing Divine Love Konadu-Sun as Toussaint AKA Prince T’Challa son of King T’Challa of Wakanda. 

“In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point.” 

Hidden Details/Easter Eggs: 

  • First things first, Shuri (Letitia Wright) has a much bigger role in Wakanda Forever than she did in Black Panther (her first MCU appearance), Avengers: Infinity War (where she was close to removing the mind stone from Vision), and Avengers: Endgame (in which she, T’Challa, and Okoye were the first to enter the portals in the final battle). But all of those movies could not prepare anyone for the emotional turmoil Wakanda Forever took as the film’s primary focus was on the aftermath of King T’Challa’s death and everything revolving around that as well as going up against the feather serpent god and his entire aquatic kingdom. Coogler told Complex, “In the narrative of the characters, she was the only main character who had never been without T’Challa ever… Every day she lived life, T’Challa was there. He was constant for her, so it made sense to use that she would probably be the most impacted, and that would probably be the place where the narrative should center.” Coogler went on to say that it was just right for Shuri to be the main character as well as paying homage to the comics. 
  • As fans are well aware, Shuri is not only the princess of Wakanda but a highly intelligent and master engineer as she is Wakanda’s lead scientist. That being said, she has created and perfected a lot of advanced technology seen in Black Panther. Her AI (Artificial Intelligence) has a much bigger role in the sequel and is actually voiced by Trevor Noah. The AI is named Griot, which in African culture means “storyteller who is often tasked with keeping tradition alive.” 
  • Ramonda makes a comment about Shuri’s personal AI that might “kill us all” one day which is a direct nod to Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Which an AI attempted to not only destroy the Avengers but also the world but failed miserably. 
  • In the opening sequence of Wakanda Forever, it opens with a very hectic scene of Shuri frantically trying to recreate the heart-shaped herb to try and come up with a cure to help T’Challa’s illness, that they mentioned he kept hidden from everyone for a while, but failed to do so. During this Shuri says, “Bast, time is running out.” Bast was originally mentioned in Black Panther who is the panther goddess and has actually been mentioned throughout the MCU for quite some time now. Black Panther perfectly explains the origins of the panther, “The tribes lived in constant war with each other until a warrior shaman received a vision from the Panther goddess Bast… who led him to the heart-shaped herb, a plant that granted him superhuman strength, speed, and instincts. The warrior became King and the first Black Panther, the protector of Wakanda.” 
  • As Shuri is trying to recreate the heart-shaped herb, Griot, says the “solution” she made has a 29% success rate where later in the film when Shuri tries to make it again, the herb has a 98% success rate, showing the growth she has made from T’Challa and Ramonda’s passing. Also fans must recall that under Killmonger’s rule (who was “rightfully” King of Wakanda) destroyed/burned all of the remaining heart-shaped herbs back in Black Panther (2018), hence why Shuri must try to recreate it in Wakanda Forever
  • During the opening sequence, while Shuri is trying to recreate the herb, one of the fellow scientists in her lab tells Shuri that she should be by T’Challa’s side as it is not looking good. Shuri yells for everyone to get out of her lab as she prints the 29% success rate of the herb. It’s too late though as Queen Ramonda then goes into the lab saying that her brother, T’Challa, is with the ancestors now.
  • During T’Challa’s funeral, Shuri and Ramonda are walking side-by-side in a dancing processional while everyone is wearing white. Shuri is holding her brother’s Black Panther mask as the Dora Milaje is holding his coffin, Okyoe being one of them heartbreakingly is trying to hold back her tears. If you look closely during this scene there are many small little details, remembering Black Panther’s legacy. There is an engraved portrait of Black Panther on the top of the coffin but lying next to it is the spear and shield T’Challa used in the ceremonial battles in Black Panther.  
  • “Only the most broken people… can be great leaders.” A large mural of T’Challa can be seen during his memorial. This mural of course is for remembrance of both Chadwick Boseman and the King of Wakanda. Written on the mural reads (translated to), “The Panther King Forever Lives In Us and Rests…” 
A large mural of T’Challa can be seen during his memorial. This mural of course is for remembering both Chadwick Boseman and the King of Wakanda. Written on the mural reads (translated to), “The Panther King Forever Lives In Us and Rests…”
  • Shuri, Ramonda, and the rest of the Wakandans wearing all white during T’Challa’s funeral (as well as Ramonda’s later in the film) is based on a Ghanaian tradition. These traditions are heavily symbolic of the one their remembering’s life, and mostly offer the spirits and ancestors in a loud traditional ritual. As mentioned above T’Challa’s casket has an engraved portrait of Black Panther on the top; this is also Ghanaian tradition where “professional casket-makers carve and paint elaborate coffins”.
  • The costume designer for Wakanda Forever, Ruth E. Carter said that for the specific scene of the processional for T’Challa, it was a bit challenging because it had to be so precise. Not only did they [the designers] want to draw inspiration from African cultures (like most of this movie) but wanted to not only distinguish between the different tribes gathering together but keep the Ghanaian tradition. In an interview in InStyle, Carter said, “The whole warehouse was full of white clothes, and we had to really identify the tribes”, she continued saying, “You could actually identify all the tribes, even though they were all in white, but the white unified them in tribute to the ascension of Chadwick Boseman.” 
Still from Wakanda Forever of Ramonda and Shuri at T’Challa’s funeral. Shuri can be seen holding her brother’s Black Panther mask.
  • As T’Challa’s coffin is lifted into the sky, the Black Panther theme, “Ancestral Plane”, can be heard playing in the background. This was originally used in Black Panther when T’Challa first took the heart-shaped herb. 
  • If the opening scene wasn’t heart wrenching enough, the Marvel Studios opening crawl is usually a montage of MCU characters with clips from previous movies to the iconic Marvel theme which culminates into the red Marvel Studios logo. Marvel changed the opening in front of Wakanda Forever from the usual montage of the characters to a crawl that is just multiple shots of T’Challa and Chadwick to a purple backdrop for Black Panther. Not only are scenes of T’Challa are used but behind the scenes photos of Chadwick filming the movies are used as well as some red carpet moments with Chadwick. Instead of the intro being set to the usual Marvel theme music, the opening is completely silent for audiences to have a moment of silence for the late, great Chadwick Boseman. This is such a powerful and emotional experience especially to see it on the big screen. So bring some tissues. 
  • The Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman, passed away suddenly back in August of 2020 after his long private battle with colorectal cancer. After his untimely passing, Marvel along with Kevin Feige announced they made the executive decision in killing the character of T’Challa instead of recasting. President of Marvel Studios said in an interview with Empire magazine that “it just felt like it was much too soon to recast.” But the absence of the character of T’Challa does not mean the Wakanda Forever cast won’t let his legacy live on. The beautiful opening sequence, as well as the entire film was a heartwarming tribute to Chadwick. “Wakanda Forever” 
  • Director, Ryan Coogler, said there were multiple versions for the Black Panther sequel written before Chadwick Boseman’s death. He said that the character of T’Challa would be mourning the loss of time between Infinity War and Endgame, so initially during The Blip. Though no one could have anticipated that the script would quickly shift from T’Challa mourning time to Wakanda mourning T’Challa, the initial storyline Coogler mentioned was so unique to the MCU. The Blip first occurred back in 2018, dusting half of the world’s population, T’Challa falling as one of the victims. This theme has yet to be thoroughly explored even though some projects briefly showed the aftermath and struggles everyone is facing, this was shown first in Spider-Man: Far From Home and a large part of Hawkeye. Coogler stated, “The character [T’Challa] was going to be grieving the loss of time, you know, coming back after being gone for five years. As a man with so much responsibility to so many, coming back after a forced five years absence, that’s what the film was tackling. He was grieving time he couldn’t get back. Grief was a big part of it.”
  • Ryan Coogler announced that Chadwick Boseman did not read a script for a Black Panther sequel before his death in 2020. But Coogler announced that they [Marvel along with him] offered Chadwick a chance to read the script but he declined. They said that that was the one thing he didn’t want to do. It was also revealed that Chadwick was too tired to read the script as he did fight through a long private battle with colorectal cancer. 
  • Wakanda is Forever but that was not always the title for the Black Panther sequel. Marvel had a list of over a hundred potential titles but producer, Nate Moore, said that it just “felt right because it’s a story about triumph through adversity.” He continued to say in an interview with Collider that, “It’s a story about legacy, it’s a story about persistence, and Wakanda Forever says all of those things.” Although many workers on the film thought Wakanda Forever would be a perfect title for a third movie but as Black Panther 2 was closing to book to the King of Wakanda himself, “It felt really appropriate thematically to the story we were trying to tell.” 
  • CNN’s Anderson Cooper makes multiple cameos in his Marvel debut as himself covering news on Wakanda because of course he would, it’s Anderson Cooper 360. At the bottom of the screen with the news clicker, one of the headlines talks about Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man’s book tour prompting his new memoir. This is a great nod to the next Marvel project, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In the first trailer, fans saw Scott Lang’s budding stardom is possibly from his new career as a writer/autobiographer based on the teaser from Comic Con. In the teaser from Comic Con fans saw a clip of Scott reading an excerpt to an audience of his autobiography titled, “Look Out For the Little Guy”. 
Still from the Comic Con Teaser of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In the teaser fans saw a clip of Scott reading an excerpt to an audience of his autobiography titled, “Look Out For the Little Guy”.
  • While Ramonda is at the UN representing Wakanda as many surrounding nations believe that due to the death of their King, stating that countries are attacking while they think Wakanda is at its weakest point but boy can they be more wrong. She also mentioned that there was an attack at a Wakandan outreach center which was first brought up in Black Panther. At the end of the first film, T’Challa hopes to build a chain of outreach centers with the first one located in Oakland (where Black Panther starts and where Killmonger grew up). “They’re not tearing it down. I bought this building. And that building, and that one over there. This will be the first Wakandan International Outreach center.” Fans were hoping they would touch more upon this topic as Black Panther ended so boldly with T’Challa revealing this but it is assumed that the Wakandans had bigger problems on their hands as a Mad Titan and his children not only attacked New York but tried to infiltrate Wakanda. 
  • BuzzFeed mentioned, “When Ramonda takes Shuri to the shores of Wakanda to talk about T’Challa on the anniversary of his death, you can see three elephants entering the water. You’ll notice there appears to be an older elephant with two baby elephants, which probably symbolizes Ramonda, T’Challa, and Shuri.” 
  • “My people call me K’uk’ulkan… but my enemies call me Namor.” Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Tenoch Huerta as he was thee perfect casting for Namor and ultimately just killed it as the winged feet god. Just from the first time we see him interact with Ramonda and Shuri is not only great writing but an outstanding performance by Tenoch Huerta. He plays Namor to be this intimidating leader and figure but the character goes from barely being able to contain his rage to a very amiable, charismatic mystique. This is exactly how the character of Namor should be, fans should be questioning if they can trust him or to root for him or not. Namor fits the bill of an anti-hero to a tee. 
Still from Wakanda Forever of Namor the Submariner. “My people call me K’uk’ulkan… but my enemies call me Namor.”
  • As perfect as Tenoch Huerta is as Namor, when he first got a call from Marvel and his agent to play Namor, they asked him if he could swim. His reply was as simple as, “I never drowned before”, multiple times before Marvel sent him for swim lessons. Not only does Huerta bring charisma to the character but on the press tour as well. Fans find it hilarious that Namor the Submariner, ruler of an aquatic kingdom, couldn’t swim. 
  • When M’Baku makes his first appearance in the film, he’s eating a carrot which is a hilarious nod to Black Panther when he says, “You cannot talk. One more word and I will feed you to my children… I’m kidding. We are vegetarians.” Later, in the same scene M’Baku hilariously refers to Okoye as a “bald-headed demon”, which Winston Duke later revealed on Twitter was completely improvised. 
  • Shuri’s favorite “colonizer” is back. Everett K. Ross is seen jogging while listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 
  • Ross’ license plate reads, “CB112976”, which is a reference to Chadwick Boseman, who was born on November 29th, 1976. 
SPOILER: Still from Wakanda Forever of Everett Ross and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine who were once married!?
  • Not only does Julia Louis-Dreyfus make a cameo as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine but she is revealed to be Everett Ross’ ex-wife but in the comics she actually had a relationship with Nick Fury. In Wakanda Forever, Marvel made it very clear that Val is the acting director of the CIA. So between Val and General Ross AKA The Thunderbolts, they are going to be a real pain in future Marvel projects. Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her Marvel debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the popular comic character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. “Actually, it’s Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. I know it’s hard, but I don’t like to repeat myself, so you can just call me Val. But don’t call me Val, just keep it in your head.” She was originally supposed to first appear in Black Widow but due to scheduling changes due to COVID-19, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced such a great character. All her past Marvel works have been setting up Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character to become a possible villain in upcoming MCU projects. 
Julia Louis-Dreyfus posted these two behind-the-scene photos from Wakanda Forever and posted them on her Instagram (@officialjld)”I don’t like to repeat myself, so you can just call me Val. But don’t call me Val, just keep it in your head.”
  • Riri Williams the Iron Heir AKA Ironheart made her MCU debut in Wakanda Forever. Audiences are first introduced to the character when Shuri and Okoye go to find her at MIT, where she is currently attending as well as where she built the vibranium detection machine the Talokans hate so much. This is not only comic accurate to his backstory but can also bring back some major MCU characters. Wakanda Forever possibly is loosely connected to Spider-Man: No Way Home, which might be a bit of a stretch but a major plot point in No Way Home was Peter, Ned, and MJ getting rejected from MIT due to Peter’s superhero alias. At the end of No Way Home after everyone forgot who Peter Parker was or that he ever existed, MJ and Ned find out they are both going to attend MIT in the fall. “MIT. They’re the Engineers. The mascot.” “Right, right, right. I should probably know that. Look at you with the school spirit.” Most notably, Tony Stark studied at MIT too. Anyway, the IronHeart series (streaming on Disney+ sometime in 2023) has been announced to be a direct continuation of Wakanda Forever. Meaning fans might want to be on the lookout for some cameos by Zendaya (Michelle “MJ” Jones) or Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds). Fans might want to be on the lookout for some cameos by Zendaya (Michelle “MJ” Jones) or Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds). 
Still from Wakanda Forever of Shuri and Okoye go “undercover” find Riri Williams at MIT, in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • The entirety of Wakanda Forever perfectly honored the powerful women of Wakanda but one of the coolest scenes in the entire film was the car chase as Okoye (driving Riri’s amazing red car that she referred to as a “hunk of junk”), Shuri (stealing one of Riri’s motorcycle), and Riri (flying in her IronHeart suit Mark I) all trying to escape the CIA as they course through the streets of Boston. 
  • Of course Riri’s first flight in the IronHeart suit mirrors Tony’s first flight in his suit back in Iron Man. Similar to Tony, Riri learns the limitations of the suit the hard way as she tries to take down one of the CIA’s drones but flies too high and does not have enough oxygen. If fans don’t recall, this happened to Tony back in Iron Man and actually used it against Obadiah in the final battle. 
  • Fans, much like myself, have been absolutely freaking out about one scene in Wakanda Forever all over social media. That scene being when Namor shows Shuri around his underwater city and kingdom of Talokan to “Con La Brisa”. Marvel could not hide the chemistry between Namor and Shuri in this scene which has such a beautiful setting underwater. Namor even gives Shuri his mother’s bracelets which has to mean something, right?! The storyline of the movie was long compared to action sequences but fans must understand that Wakanda Forever had some of the best character arcs and that the entire plot helped develop most of the characters in the film and even introduce new ones and even an entire underwater kingdom to the MCU. 
“Con La Brisa” Still from Wakanda Forever of King Namor the Submariner.
  • When Namor explains his origin story to Shuri he mentions he’s a “mutant”. Marvel has been teasing the X-Men a lot in some recent projects and fans can’t get enough of it. Since Ms. Marvel has officially brought mutants into the MCU and She-Hulk subtly mentioned one of the most popular X-Men, let’s not forget about the first live action Fox films with the X-Men. So, we must ask Kevin Feige… when is Marvel bringing in the X-Men?? How much longer will fans have to wait?? Jen Walters literally makes eye contact with the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and asks, “Oh, when are we getting the X-Men?”, while giving the audience a thumbs-up. Not only have fans been anticipating the X-Men but the Fantastic Four as well which will finally be introduced in the MCU in a solo film in 2025. However, fans must be thankful since we not only got John Kraskinski as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Professor X since his last appearance in Logan (2017). 
  • M’Baku calls Namor, “K’uk’ulkan, the feather serpent god.” Though this is a slight difference from the comics since he is known as the ruler, general, and King of Atlantis, the MCU version is titled, “K’uk’ulkan”. Some fans are upset about the change but they must know that the MCU’s version of not just Namor but the Talokans are loosely based on the Mayan culture. “K’uk’ulkan is the name of a Mesoamerican serpent deity who was worshiped by the Yucatec Mayans.” 
  • Even though Namor’s title and kingdom was changed to be similar to Mayan culture.  Namor’s costume however can’t get much more comic accurate than it already is between the green speedo turned to trunks and winged ankles as well as having the pointed ears. Tenoch Huerta called his suit (if you can even call it that), “shame shorts”, because of how small they were. But the funny thing is that Marvel switched Namor’s typical wardrobe which just consisted of a green speedo to long(er) swim trunks. 
  • Marvel Studios changed many details between the comic character of Namor and the MCU version. First off, Namor’s kingdom is of Talokan and not Atlantis from the comics. Many believe that this is because Marvel is trying to portray their own version of an aquatic hero due to the similarities between him and Aquaman. Namor first appeared in1939 while DC’s Aquaman debuted in 1941. Coogler said, “out of respect to the audience, not wanting to give them something similar to other things that have come before it.” 
  • There is one scene everyone is talking about because of the remarkable performances by Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira. It’s the scene between their two characters, Ramonda and Okoye which happens right after the car chase and Shuri and Riri were taken by Namora and Attuma. Queen Ramonda gives one of the most powerful, emotional, and intense speeches in not just Wakanda Forever but all of the MCU. “I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world! And my entire family is gone! Have I not given everything?!” What makes this scene more heartbreaking and intense is when Ramonda strips Okoye of her title and rank within the Dora Milaje. Okoye has given everything to the Dora Milaje and her country, she even took down her own husband (which they mention). “Would you kill me, my love? “For Wakanda, without question.” Fans are going as far to say that the entire cast of Wakanda Forever, especially Angela Bassett gave award worthy performances and saying she deserves an Oscar for just this alone. 
Still from Wakanda Forever of late Queen Ramonda. “I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world! And my entire family is gone! Have I not given everything?!”
  • After this heartbreaking scene when Okoye is stripped from her ranking and title, fans can notice Ayo is wearing the gold armor that usually rests on Okoye’s Dora Milaje uniform signifying that Ayo is now the general. 
  • When Ramonda goes to Haiti to ask for Nakia’s help, which is the first appearance of Nakia in Wakanda Forever. One of the children that brings Ramonda to Nakia is Toussaint, Nakia and T’Challa’s son AKA Prince T’Challa son of King T’Challa of Wakanda. He is introduced in the mid-credit scene for Wakanda Forever, which may have been one of the most tear jerking credit scenes in all of Marvel. 
  • Similar to Tench Huerta learning to swim for his role as Namor. After learning that a majority of the movie would take place underwater, Lupita Nyong’o trained by holding her breath underwater while carrying weights. 
  • Director, Ryan Coogler, also learned to swim for the film. He told Variety, “I had to figure out how to swim so I could direct this movie.” 
  • In order for everything to look spot on for the underwater sequences, Ruth E. Carter, costume designer, tested all of the costumes in a twenty foot tank but revealed she actually had to add weights to the costumes to get the right effects. 
  • During a fight sequence between the Talokans and the Wakandans, Namor floods the throne room with Ramonda and Riri in it. Ramonda being the QUEEN she swims down to save Riri, a girl she barely knows, risking her life for the better good. When Okoye and Nakia along with Shuri run in, it’s too late and the Queen is gone. Even though this is such a heartbreaking moment in the film and pivotal for Shuri, the cinematography of Ramonda swimming to the surface is beautiful to say the least.
  • Insider pointed out, “When Ramonda tells Shuri to stay put, Shuri claims to have a bad connection with her mother. She hangs up on her mother, as she usually does, ending the call with, ‘Love you, bye.’”
  • The ending scene of Avengers: Endgame hits a bit more now when Tony Stark narrates, “Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn’t always roll that way. Maybe this time. I’m hoping if you play this back… it’s in celebration. I hope families are reunited.” There is a shot of Shuri, Ramonda, and T’Challa rejoicing looking down upon the people of Wakanda after being reunited after five years because of The Blip. Now all who is left in the MCU is Shuri but the family is reunited in a sort of way in the Ancestral Plane. 
Still from the ending of Avengers: Endgame of Queen Ramonda, King, T’Challa, and Princess Shuri. “Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn’t always roll that way.
  • CNN’s Anderson Cooper makes a second appearance in Wakanda Forever, later reporting Queen Ramonda’s tragic death. At the bottom of the screen with the news clicker, one of the breaking news headlines mentions New Asgard. This is yet another nod to a recent Marvel project, Thor: Love and Thunder.
  • Wakanda has a new Black Panther… It is none other than Shuri donning the mask and the claws now. As Shuri believes she can recreate the heart-shaped herb which she tried but failed at the beginning of the movie when she was trying to save T’Challa. In the opening scene her “cure” has a 29% success rate where later this time the herb has a 98% success rate, showing the growth she has made from T’Challa and Ramonda’s passing. Nakia mentions that Shuri’s cure is the best thing since Bashenga. Bashenga was the first king of Wakanda and first Black Panther. 
  • It’s true, Michael B. Jordan is back as Killmonger. Variety said, “Toward the end of the movie, “Black Panther” fans were also delighted to see the brief return of Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, the fan-favorite villain from the original movie. After Shuri manufactures a synthetic, heart-shaped herb to take on the Black Panther powers, she enters the Ancestral Plane and is expecting to see her brother T’Challa or her late mother Ramonda, who drowned during Namor’s earlier attack on Wakanda. However, she’s surprised to find Killmonger waiting for her. The scene mirrors T’Challa’s meeting with his late father T’Chaka (John Kani) in the first “Black Panther,” but Shuri and Killmonger are ideologically opposed — or so she thinks. Still reeling from her mother’s death, Shuri wants revenge, and Killmonger eggs her on. He mocks her father and brother’s peaceful and noble outlooks, pushing her to kill Namor the next time she faces him.” 
SPOILER: Still from Wakanda Forever of Michael B. Jordan returning as Erik Killmonger. “Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage.”
  • After Ramonda’s funeral, M’Baku tries to talk to Shuri, she asks him if now he’s willing to “hear from a child who scoffs at tradition.” This is a callback to Black Panther when M’Baku says, “We have watched with disgust, as your technological advancements have been overseen by a child who scoffs at tradition.” 
  • Some fans are complaining about Okoye and Aneka’s brand new suits saying they either look like Power Rangers or The Predator. But fans must know that these designs are taken directly from the comics of the Midnight Angels, which include the Dora Milaje’s best warriors and wear the blue suits as seen in Wakanda Forever. I think we can all agree that Dora Milaje’s best warrior is Okoye without a doubt. 
  • During the final battle between the Black Panther and the Submariner, Namor says, “imperious rex”, which is taken directly from the comics as it is his catchphrase which translates to, “emperor king”. 
  • Shuri decides to spare Namor’s life but does claw him a couple of times and even rips off one of his wings. She mentions that they [the Wakandans and the Black Panthers] shouldn’t let vengeance consume them which is a direct nod to what T’Challa tells Zemo at the end of Civil War which perfectly shows both Shuri and T’Challa’s characters as they spared both the anti-heroes who killed their parents. “Vengeance has consumed you. It’s consuming them. I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough.” 
SPOILER: Still from Wakanda Forever of the new Black Panther, Shuri.
  • M’Baku is now the new King of Wakanda and we may possibly see him as a Black Panther in future projects. 
  • As the entire Black Panther and Marvel family were heartbroken by the loss of their king along with so many fans, Letitia Wright said that on set she dedicated every scene to Chadwick Boseman, saying, “I wanted to dedicate excellence to this film so that he could be proud.” I think it is safe to say that Chadwick Boseman would have loved what Ryan Coogler, Letitia Wright, and everyone who worked on the film did to make Wakanda Forever as moving and powerful as it was. 
  • Though there is only one mid-credit scene in Wakanda Forever, it is one of the most pivotal and emotional ones to date. The film itself ends with Shuri going to Haiti to burn her ceremonial robes from Ramonda’s funeral while reminiscing about all the times she has with T’Challa. If the opening sequence wasn’t heartbreaking enough, you might want to grab a tissue or two for the next part, when they show a very nice montage and tribute to significant T’Challa scenes from Black Panther, Infinity War, and Endgame. Nakia introduces her and T’Challa’s child, Toussaint, to his Auntie Shuri. Not only did Ramonda meet Toussaint but Nakia tells Shuri that T’Challa prepared both of them for his death which is a direct nod to Black Panther when T’Challa sees his father in the Ancestral Plane. “I am not ready to be without you.” King T’Chaka says, “A man who has not prepared his children for his own death has failed as a father. Have I ever failed you?” 
Still from Black Panther of the Ancestral Plane. “I am not ready to be without you.”
  • Toussaint then asks Shuri if she can keep a secret, she asks him, “Who are you?” He replies, “My name is Prince T’Challa, son of King T’Challa.” This may have been one of the most tear jerking credit scenes in all of Marvel. 
SPOILER: Still from Wakanda Forever of Shuri in Haiti.

“In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point.” 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is only in theaters right now!! 

Always remember, Wakanda Forever!!