Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is now in charge, while Shuri (Letitia Wright) works hard to make a synthetic version of the heart-shaped herb to keep her mind off the death of her brother.
Without a protector and a king, Wakanda is under pressure from other nations over its rare metallic vibranium. Much to the dismay of powerful countries, Wakanda stopped sharing its precious metal out of fear of misuse. Queen Ramonda knows the power of the ore, and potentially using it for mass destruction is dangerous.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, the CIA and U.S. Navy SEALs used a vibranium-detecting machine to locate a potential vibranium deposit underwater. The expedition captured the attention of the superhuman, Namor (Tenoch Huerta Meja). Namor comes from Talokan, an underwater nation built on vibranium, and he’s pissed off that humans are mining in his kingdom. So he attacked and killed them all, inadvertently putting Wakanda in hot water.
Namor then meets with Queen Ramonda and Shuri. He explained that Wakanda's decision to reveal itself to the world has put his kingdom in great peril. As a way to help him and the Talokan continue their existence in secret, he asks the Queen to bring the scientist who created the vibranium-detecting device to him with the intent of killing her. If they fail to do so, he will wage war against them.
Queen Ramonda thinks over Namor’s request and threat. But after learning that the scientist is a young teenage girl named Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), she decided to protect her.
Namor is displeased. So with his extraordinary army of submariners, he leads his nation to war against a country that’s still recovering from the loss of their sole protector, the Black Panther.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is an emotional film. On August 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman suddenly died from colon cancer, and as the franchise’s central star, the narrative has to pivot away from T'Challa. Disney and Marvel considered either reprising the role or digitally creating a double of Boseman, but they agreed that both solutions might cause a fan outcry. They ultimately decided that the only way to move forward was to face the sorrow and have Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett take up the mantle.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" really suffers from Boseman’s death. The first one works because of Boseman’s larger-than-life approach to a character that represents a lot of swag, angst, and feels to a community thirsty for representation. And people rallied behind him. His confident, heartwarming, and hopeful presence is surely missed in a story that tackles more pressing issues such as slavery and colonialism. It would be interesting to see what T’Challa’s take on a conflict that has been part of black people’s history for such a long time.
Obviously, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will never be the same as its predecessors. This sequel lacks the energy and the intensity of the first. The momentum is slow and meditative as it tries to process the true emotion of grief and pain. The jokes are sporadic to nonexistent. It will flood your eyes with tears because of its vulnerability. But it’s determined. Eventually, it will pick itself up and focus on the story at hand. And the story that Ryan Coogler has created is not only beautiful but also meaningful. The franchise might've lost a great character, but it opened the doors to everyone else.
This sequel sees a bright future for black females. Whether they play as queens, superheroes, or teenagers, it is inspiring and empowering to finally see them in front of the action. Queen Ramonda makes bold decisions to make the world better; Shuri has a stronger resolve toward advanced technology; and the Dora Milaje are more committed to their role to protect the throne. It shows how progressive black women see the world and how hard they work to change and improve things.
It is a breath of fresh air. For so long, Marvel only tells stories with one point of view. But with the Talokans and the Wakandans, and with women taking the lead in these narratives, there is a bigger picture of what a good society is for the people to see.
Needless to say, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" doesn't feel like your usual superhero movie. Although it is not pioneering anything groundbreaking, it is still overly formulaic and reliant on CGI. But the deep emotion and context behind the spectacles make it an increasingly interesting study on acceptance and progress. It puts the story upfront and builds on the cultures, colonies, and societies that would connect to the modern times and the people.
To pull off something like this without your brightest star is a shot in the dark. But Ryan Coogler feels compelled to do it to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Sure, they could botch this up and disappoint fans in the name of the story. Fortunately, the heart and the spirit of this film franchise cannot be easily broken because the true story of the Black Panther is not really about T’Challa, it is about the Wakandans.
