A new image from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever provides a new look at Letitia Wright's Shuri in what appears to be ceremonial clothing. After the first Black Panther wowed audiences in 2018, anticipation has been high for the sequel. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sees the return of Ryan Coogler to the director's chair and will mark the last major film of MCU Phase 4. The film is said to tell the story of Wakanda's attempts to navigate its relationship with various world powers as the nation's inhabitants mourn the death of Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Boseman tragically passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer, leaving big shoes to fill for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The upcoming sequel sees the return of a number of characters from the first film, including Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Ramonda, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Danai Gurira's Okoye, and Winston Duke's M'Baku, in addition to introducing newcomers like Tenoch Huerta's Namor and Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams. The first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever teased an emotional and action-packed film, as Shuri, Ramonda, and others attempt to grapple with the loss of their king.
A new image from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, courtesy of Empire, shows a better look at Wright's Shuri, who is shown looking very solemn while wearing what appears to be very ornate ceremonial clothing. While the context of the image is not yet clear, Shuri could be mourning T'Challa at some sort of ceremony honoring the late king. Check out the new image below:
Shuri Will Face New Challenges in Black Panther 2
With T'Challa now officially dead in the MCU, there are questions about whether Shuri could be the one to take up the mantle of Wakanda's iconic hero. The trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever briefly showed a glimpse of the new version of Black Panther, but left it intentionally ambiguous in terms of which character is wearing the suit. If Shuri is the new Black Panther, that would evidently compound the character's struggles, with her not only mourning the death of her brother but also grappling with the responsibility that comes with being a heroic symbol for her entire nation.
Even if Shuri isn't the new Black Panther, audiences will evidently be seeing the character at a vulnerable and emotional time in her life. In previous films, including the first Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Shuri maintains a strong sense of humor and a light-heartedness, especially when interacting with T'Challa. With Boseman's character gone, this may be a version of Shuri who is struggling to remain a source of light for her friends and her nation in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It remains to be seen how the upcoming sequel will handle Boseman and T'Challa's passing, but Wright's Shuri will evidently play an important role in the events to come.