Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

***Black Panther: Wakanda Forever*** is a 2022 American superhero movie.

This is based on the Marvel Comics character Black Panther. It is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The movie is the sequel to _Black Panther_ (2018). It is the 30th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

It is directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. The movie stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett. In the movie, the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their nation after King T'Challa's death.

## Schedule

Ideas for a sequel began after the release of Black Panther in February 2018. Coogler negotiated to return as director in the following months. Then Marvel Studios officially confirmed the sequel's development in mid-2019. Plans for the movie changed in August 2020 when _Black Panther_ star Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer. Marvel chose not to recast his role of T'Challa. Other main cast members from the first movie were confirmed to return by that November.

The title was announced in May 2021. Production initially took place from late June to early November 2021, in Atlanta and Brunswick, Georgia, as well as around Massachusetts. This was before a break was made to allow Wright to recover from an injury sustained during filming. Production resumed by mid-January 2022 and ended in late March in Puerto Rico.

_Black Panther: Wakanda Forever_ premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on October 26, 2022. It was released in the United States on November 11. It is the last movie in Phase Four of the MCU.

## Plot

T'Challa, king of Wakanda, is suffering from an illness which his sister, Shuri, believes can be cured by the "heart-shaped herb". Shuri attempts to synthetically recreate the herb after it was destroyed by Killmonger but fails to do so before he succumbs.

One year later, Wakanda is under pressure from other nations to share their vibranium, with some parties attempting to steal it by force. Queen Ramonda implores Shuri to continue her research on the heart-shaped herb, hoping to create a new Black Panther that will defend Wakanda, but she refuses due to her belief that the Black Panther is a figure of the past. In the Atlantic Ocean, the CIA and U.S. Navy SEALs utilize a vibranium-detecting machine to locate a potential vibranium deposit underwater. The expedition is attacked and killed by a group of blue-skinned water-breathing superhumans led by Namor, with the CIA believing Wakanda to be responsible. Namor confronts Ramonda and Shuri, easily bypassing Wakanda's advanced security. Blaming Wakanda for the vibranium race, he gives them an ultimatum: deliver him the scientist responsible for the vibranium-detecting machine, or he will attack Wakanda.

Shuri and Okoye learn from CIA agent Everett K. Ross that the scientist in question is MIT student Riri Williams and arrive at the university to confront her. The group is pursued by the FBI and then by Namor's warriors, who defeat Okoye before taking Shuri and Williams underwater to meet Namor. Angered by Okoye's failure to protect Shuri, Ramonda strips her of her title as general of the Dora Milaje and seeks out Nakia, who has been living in Haiti since the Blip. Namor shows Shuri his vibranium-rich underwater kingdom of Talokan, which he has protected for centuries from discovery by the world. Bitter at the surface world for enslaving the Maya, Namor proposes an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world but threatens to destroy Wakanda first if they refuse. Nakia helps Shuri and Williams escape, and Namor retaliates with an attack against Wakanda, during which Ramonda drowns saving Williams. Namor vows to return in a week with his full army, and the citizens of Wakanda relocate to the Jabari mountains for their safety. Meanwhile, Ross is arrested by his ex-wife and CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, for secretly exchanging classified intelligence with the Wakandans.

Using a remnant of the herb that gave Namor's people their superhuman abilities, Shuri reconstructs the heart-shaped herb and ingests it, gaining superhuman abilities and meeting Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, who urges her to seek revenge. Shuri dons a new Black Panther suit and is accepted by the other Wakandan tribes as the Black Panther. Despite M'Baku's urges for peace, Shuri is determined to exact vengeance on Namor for Ramonda's death and orders an immediate counterattack on Talokan. Preparing for battle, with Ayo assuming the position of general of the Dora Milaje, Shuri bestows the Midnight Angel armor upon Okoye, who in turn recruits Dora member Aneka to join her. Williams creates an Iron Man-esque powered exoskeleton to aid the Wakandans.

The Wakandans lure Namor and his warriors to the surface as a battle ensues. Shuri traps Namor in a fighter aircraft, intending to dry him out and weaken him. The pair crashes on a desert beach and fight. Shuri gains the upper hand, but realizes the similarities between their paths and implores Namor to yield, offering him a peaceful alliance. Namor accepts, and the battle ends. Namor's cousin, Namora, is upset at Namor's surrender. Namor reassures her that their new alliance will allow them to conquer the surface world one day. Williams returns to MIT, leaving her suit behind, while Okoye rescues Ross from captivity. In Shuri's absence, M'Baku steps forward to challenge for the throne. Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti where she burns her funeral ceremonial robe in accordance with Ramonda's wishes, allowing herself to finally grieve T'Challa.

In a mid-credits scene, Shuri learns that Nakia and T'Challa had a son named Toussaint, who Nakia has been raising in secret far from the pressure of the throne. Toussaint reveals his Wakandan name is T'Challa.

## Cast

- Letitia Wright as Shuri / Black Panther: The princess of Wakanda who designs new technology for the nation.
- Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia: A former War Dog, an undercover spy for Wakanda, from the River Tribe.
- Danai Gurira as Okoye / Midnight Angel: The general of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda's all-female special forces. She later takes up the role of Midnight Angel, along with Aneka.
- Winston Duke as M'Baku: A powerful warrior who is the leader of Wakanda's mountain tribe, the Jabari.
- Florence Kasumba as Ayo: A member and the second-in-command of the Dora Milaje after Okoye was stripped of her duties. She is in a romantic relationship with Aneka.
- Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart: An MIT student and genius inventor from Chicago who creates a suit of armor that rivals the one built by Tony Stark / Iron Man.
- Michaela Coel as Aneka / Midnight Angel: A Wakandan warrior and member of the Dora Milaje. She later takes up the role of Midnight Angel, along with Okoye. She is in a romantic relationship with Ayo.
- Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor: The king of Talokan, an ancient civilization of underwater dwelling people, who refer to him as the feathered serpent god K'uk'ulkan. Huerta confirmed that the character is a mutant as in the comics.
- Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross: An agent of the Central Intelligence Agency who has previous ties to Wakanda.
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: The new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Ross's ex-wife.
- Angela Bassett as Ramonda: The Sovereign Queen Mother of Wakanda who is grieving the death of her son T'Challa.

Additionally, Michael B. Jordan reprises his MCU role as N'Jadaka / Erik "Killmonger" Stevens. Isaach de Bankolé, Dorothy Steel (in her final, posthumous role), and Danny Sapani reprise their roles as the Wakandan River Tribe, Merchant Tribe, and Border Tribe elders, respectively. Connie Chiume reprises her role as Zawavari. Her character was previously the Mining Tribe Elder, but now the Elder Statesman, taking over the role held by Zuri from the first movie. Mabel Cadena portrays Namor's cousin Namora, while Alex Livinalli portrays the Talokanil warrior Attuma, and María Mercedes Coroy portrays Princess Fen, Namor's mother. Lake Bell (who voiced Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in Marvel Studios' animated series _What If...?_) and Robert John Burke appear as Dr. Graham and Smitty, respectively, a pair of CIA officials in charge of the vibranium mining operation. Richard Schiff appears as the U.S. Secretary of State, while Kamaru Usman appears as a naval officer. Comedian Trevor Noah reprises his role from the first movie as Griot, an A.I. developed by Shuri. Archive footage from previous MCU movies of Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther is used in the movie's ending, with Divine Love Konadu-Sun appearing as Toussaint, T'Challa and Nakia's son.  CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper appears as himself reporting on the Wakandan activities.

## Release

_Black Panther: Wakanda Forever_ premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on October 26, 2022. It also premiered in Lagos, Nigeria on November 6. _Deadline Hollywood_ described the event as the first local premiere for a Marvel movie.

It was released internationally on November 9, and in the United States on November 11. The movie was previously scheduled for release on May 6, which was later moved to July 8, 2022.

### Box office

As of October 10, 2023, _Black Panther: Wakanda Forever_ has grossed $453.8 million in the United States and Canada and $405.3 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $859.2 million.

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 445 reviews are positive. The average rating is 7.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A poignant (gives a feeling of sadness) tribute that satisfyingly moves the franchise forward, _Black Panther: Wakanda Forever_ marks an ambitious and emotionally rewarding triumph for the MCU." On Metacritic, the movie has a score of 67 out of 100 based on 62 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

## Infobox (film)

- **director**: Ryan Coogler
- **story**: Ryan Coogler
- **music**: Ludwig Göransson
- **cinematography**: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
- **studio**: Marvel Studios
- **distributor**: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
- **runtime**: 161 minutes
- **country**: United States
- **language**: English
- **budget**: $250 million
- **gross**: $859.2 million