Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to one of Marvel’s biggest hits, has already surpassed its predecessors at the Box Office even before its weekend premiere. The sequel not only paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa, but it also managed to introduce new characters into the MCU: Ironheart and Namor, as well as the new Black Panther, Letitia Wright’s Shuri.
In an interview with Marvel.com, Black Panther 2 filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Nate Moore explain how they ended up choosing Shuri to take over T’Challa’s Black Panther in Wakanda. Coogler reiterates how Shuri’s denial of her brother’s passing is what pushed the character to take his place, to move forward and represent Wakanda on her own two feet.
“It’s hard to say it was obvious because Chad’s passing was so unexpected, but it was a choice that made a lot of sense.” Ryan Coogler says, reiterating the clues and hints behind who would be the most logical choice as the new Black Panther, “It became clear that Shuri should be the nexus of our movie. She always imagined, ‘My brother will be the Black Panther and then when he’s too old to be a Black Panther, I’ll be too old to be a Black Panther.’”
The director continues on to say it was never on Shuri’s mind to play the role in her life, believing and holding high hopes that her brother is and always will be the only Black Panther they would know, “We thought that would [make her] the most interesting character to actually do it.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters.
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