But few expected the movie to deliver a second gut-punching death. T'Challa's mother, Queen Ramonda, dies midway through “Wakanda Forever.” She drowns during Namor's (Tenoch Huerta) attack on Wakanda, which sets Shuri (Letitia Wright) on a path of revenge against him in the third act.
Shuri is not Queen of Wakanda
At the end of the film, Shuri leaves Wakanda to visit Nakia in Haiti and properly mourn her brother and mother's passing. She is still The Black Panther and the protector of the most powerful nation in the world, but she did not succeed her mother and take the throne.
While Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, four years before his death, he kept his illness secret and continued to act in numerous movies. Boseman's death, on August 28, 2020, was sudden to many people, just as T'Challa's death was sudden in the movie.
The writer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has explained the reasoning behind a surprise character return in the film. In the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe feature, Killmonger (Michael B Jordan), the villain from the first film, returned in a brief cameo when Shuri (Letitia Wright) visited the Ancestral Plane.
Well, as it turns out, the film stayed pretty true to life. In theaters now, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” doesn't see King T'Challa doesn't die as a result of some epic battle with a Marvel villain, succumbing to injuries.
Following T'Challa's death, we see the funeral in Wakanda and his casket taken away on a Wakandan ship, before a T'Challa-themed Marvel Studios ident (like the one added to Black Panther in tribute, but without the fanfare).
Shuri's ending in Black Panther 2
So it's no surprise that she ultimately becomes the new Black Panther after successfully creating a synthetic version of the Heart-Shaped Herb. But after defeating Namor and saving her people, Shuri skips her own coronation ceremony.
Erik Killmonger refused T'Challa's offer to try and mend him and accepted his fate, explaining he'd rather die than live out the rest of his life in chains. After his life of violence, Erik Killmonger died peacefully by his cousin's side, while admiring the fabled Wakandan sunset his father had once told him about.
Marvel didn't recast Chadwick Boseman in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' — and it was the right move. Marvel Studios did not recast the role played by the late Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and industry experts say that was a smart move for the franchise.
Previously, the Marvel movie's promotional materials had kept the identity of the new Black Panther — a huge talking point going into the movie after Chadwick Boseman's death — a secret. Now, however, after some time in theatres, the movie has confirmed publicly that Letitia Wright's Shuri is the new Black Panther.
By the end of the movie, Wakanda defeats Namor and his army, thanks to the leadership of the new Black Panther, Shuri. But it's hardly a simple happy ending. Wakanda Forever operates best as a transitional middle chapter, as the movie closes with many questions left unanswered.
Black Panther ends with T'Challa going before the United Nations and revealing Wakanda to the world and proming to share its resources. The ending speaks to the nobility of T'Challa, but it also emphasizes the fact that Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Killmonger (Michael B.
Spoilers ahead for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The scene begins with Shuri (Letitia Wright) burning her funeral clothes on the beach in Haiti. She's greeted by Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and a child we haven't met before: Nakia's son, Toussaint, played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun.
But Killmonger chose death over imprisonment, and removed the spear that T'Challa impaled him with, ending his life. Killmonger's death ended up making an impact on T'Challa, as he chose to open Wakanda's borders to the world as well as its resources.
During a subsequent duel with T'Challa, Killmonger is killed by Monica Rambeau, whom he had previously captured and imprisoned. Killmonger's young son is last seen swearing vengeance against Black Panther, much like N'Jadaka had done years earlier after the death of his own father.
From his shark-tooth throne to his ankle winglets, Namor The Sub-Mariner is one of the biggest reasons to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th. As Marvel's new villain splashes down, here's everything you need to know, from Namor's comic-book roots to actor Tenoch Huerta's swimming lessons.
Shuri clips one of his foot wings, but he brutally impales her. "I am not my brother," she insists, refusing to give up the fight. Namor utters his catchphrase from the comic books, "imperius rex," but Shuri counters with a triumphant "Wakanda Forever!" and blows them both up.
Killmonger uses his royal blood to challenge for the throne. Killmonger's dominance is on display the moment he arrives, and he takes down the Black Panther with surgical precision, providing one of the film's most dramatic moment, when he's crowned the new king of Wakanda.
His name is Namor, and he is played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía (“The Forever Purge,” “Narcos: Mexico”). But while the character may be new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has roots in the earliest days of Marvel Comics.
Although Boseman didn't film new scenes for "Wakanda Forever" (he died before production began), Coogler makes use of old footage from the first "Black Panther" in the sequel.
While T'Challa was absent, his partner Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) would have given birth to their son, Toussaint. "In the script, T'Challa was a dad who'd had this forced five-year absence from his son's life," Coogler told the Times. "The first scene was an animated sequence. You hear Nakia talking to Toussaint.
The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for many centuries, so even with T'Challa's passing in the MCU, someone must step up and become the hero. It's not exactly a surprise that Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) becomes the new Black Panther in Wakanda Forever.