Letitia Wright explained how her character's journey in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever helped her process the death of Chadwick Boseman. Boseman played the iconic Marvel Comics hero Black Panther in the MCU beginning with 2016's Captain America: Civil War. The character, who is also known as T'Challa, was the eldest child of Wakanda's King T'Chaka (John Kani) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). He inherited the mantle of Black Panther from his father, becoming the protector of Wakanda, an African nation with advanced technology that has disguised its wonders from the world at large.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
In his first solo outing, the megahit 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, audiences got to experience the marvels of Wakanda and meet T'Challa's family and friends, including his tech genius sister Shuri (Wright), War Dog spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and Dora Milaje special forces leader Okoye (Danai Gurira). Although the film provided an ensemble packed with interesting and layered characters, the MCU was nevertheless unprepared to be rocked by tragedy. After appearing in the Avengers crossover films Infinity War and Endgame and voicing Black Panther in What If…? season 1, Boseman passed away from colon cancer at age 43 in August 2020.
Empire had the opportunity to speak to Wright about returning to the MCU in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever without Boseman. She revealed that being able to channel her grief into Shuri's new arc "allowed me to grieve, to cry, to laugh, and to gain strength." It took a while for her to begin to heal, but she revealed that "I feel like Shuri kept looking at me every day, asking me if I was gonna fold or go again," which allowed her to process her own very real emotions. Read her full quote below:
Shuri’s journey has allowed me to grieve, to cry, to laugh, and to gain strength that I never thought I could ever have. Trials and tribulations make you who you are. You either fold or you get up and go again. I feel like Shuri kept looking at me every day, asking me if I was gonna fold or go again. And I just kept going until healing started to happen for me.
How Black Panther 2 Addresses Chadwick Boseman's Passing
Boseman's passing will be a huge, integral feature of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This was belied in the very first seconds of the trailer, which uses a cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" to highlight the way that T'Challa's in-universe death has left behind a crew of strong women who must move forward while mourning his loss. Although the King has left a power vacuum in his wake that may lead to some Wakandan infighting, the nation is going to have to come together as a brand-new threat emerges from beneath the sea, led by Namor the Sub-Mariner (Tenoch Huerta).
The filmmakers and actors behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to scramble to make the film work without its title hero. This entirely mimics the new plot of the film, which was likely changed substantially following the star's death. The journey that Wright went on is likely very similar to every cast and crew member around her, drawing from the closure of the narrative they were telling to help heal their own wounds as well.