With the nation currently mourning the loss of their king, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore and director Ryan Coogler explain why the film will primarily focus on the women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres November 11, marking the final film in Phase 4 of the MCU. The story for the Black Panther the sequel was rewritten after 2020 to honor Chadwick Boseman’s legacy, when the King T’Challa actor died of colon cancer during the film’s development.
Despite his passing, Marvel decided not to recast T’Challa’s role for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with the titular nation instead losing its king, leaving the door open for another individual to rise to take on the mantle of the eponymous mantle. The film mainly focuses on Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje as they fight to protect Wakanda from invaders after T. ‘Challa. Facing a particularly formidable threat in the form of the underwater humans of Talokan, led by the mutant and half-Atlantic Namor (Tenoch Huerta), they will do whatever it takes to protect themselves.
At a press event attended by screen frenzyMoore and Coogler explained their decision to focus on the MCU’s female characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Moore explained that it was not a conscious choice to make the women dominant, but that it was simply a natural progression of the story, with Coogler agreeing that the sequel will explore those whose identities were wrapped around T’Challa. Check out their statements below:
Nate Moore: It was just the right story to tell. These were the characters most affected by T’Challa’s passing, so we focused on the people who were suitable. It’s not about pushing women forward or holding back men; it’s about telling the story that’s organic. Sometimes I think, maybe from the outside, that there are agendas involved. But it just tells good stories, and we’re blessed with a great cast that breathe life into these characters and you want to see what happens to Shuri or what happens to Okoye or what happens to Lupita or what happened to Ramonda. If I didn’t emphasize them, the story would have been a disservice, which is why I think the movies are better for it. If we had to put in a few new male characters to have that voice, it would have been more performative than just telling the story we were telling.
Ryan Coogler: I’ll say M’Baku was more into this movie than the first Black Panther; probably as a two-to-one ratio, and probably twice as many scenes as in the first. He’s there, but Nate is absolutely right. If you lose someone, there is an explosion radius. It’s like a bomb going off, and who was closest to it? That’s who we explored.
The main characters, their identities were kind of wrapped up in this man. [That’s] the truth of it. Every day Shuri was alive, she had her brother. When she lost him, we found as we worked on the script — and eventually brought it to life with the actors — that she really lost her sense of self. She identified herself as this man’s sister, and as his protector, and as the person who takes care of him. If she loses that, she’s very unsteady. …The worst nightmare you can have is that if something were to happen to you, the people you love and leave behind will be detached and lost after you’re gone. We were researching all those things, and it wasn’t directly about gender. It was about who would be most affected.
Where the Wakandan women find themselves in Black Panther 2
Moore and Coogler are right that the Wakandan women will be deeply affected by T’Challa’s death Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The women of Wakanda will find themselves in a place of grief and vulnerability after T’Challa’s death, but they will also have to take on his mantle and defend Wakanda. Shuri is a character who Coogler said will have a particularly difficult time in the film, as she previously established her identity as T’Challa’s little sister and his protector, realizing she doesn’t know who she is without him. comes in the future. She’ll also find herself given a lot more responsibility as Wakanda’s new heir, and possibly nicknamed the Black Panther, as her mother Ramonda is stretched lean as she tries to be a mother, a leader and a defender, while grieving T’Challa .
As for Okoye, Nakia and the Dora Milaje, they will probably fight harder than ever to defend Wakanda and protect T’Challa’s legacy. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is going to be a deeply poignant exploration of grief and survival, and it looks like it will explore the women’s grief at losing their friend and relative, but also explore the painful truth that life doesn’t stop for anyone. In this case, the grieving women of Wakanda are forced to fight to protect their land, but one can hope there’s healing involved as they honor T’Challa’s legacy by protecting what was dear to him and experiencing stepping into his role. . Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be all the more emotional and interesting by putting Wakanda’s women in the spotlight when it hits theaters November 11.
