Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a lot riding on its shoulders, not only as the sequel to one of Marvel’s most successful solo superhero movie, but as the closing movie of Phase Four of the MCU and as a legacy to late star Chadwick Boseman. There is little doubt that Boseman’s passing had a huge impact on the story of the sequel, and that has led to Letitia Wright’s Suri taking a step up from her original Black Panther role to shoulder many of Wakanda’s problems in the new movie.
Letitia Wright has obviously thrown herself into the role she first played in Black Panther, to the point where she actually sustained a serious injury while filming last year. As reported by SlashFilm, the actress recently told a press conference that she feels that circumstances have led to her character having a completely realized story arc. She said:
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“We meet her in that first film, and she is that ray of sunshine. She’s so clothed and protected in royalty and love and proud of her big brother taking this step and following on his father’s legacy. She just wants to create. I love Shuri in the first one because there was no limit to her, as well. She was the person her brother went to for his protection, his armor. He encouraged that. Her family encouraged her to be a genius and to be fearfully and wonderfully made.
“So we follow on from that [in the sequel]. What does that look like when your heart is broken? I think it was Ryan’s guidance on ‘How do we create a full arc of this human being, of this young woman going through something alongside her fellow family members and general and Wakandans?’ […] We were able to bring something that felt real, that felt truthful, and I was able to bring my heart to it and give Shuri a full arc, and hopefully, people can resonate with that and find some healing alongside us with it.”
How Does Wakanda Forever Focus on Female Characters?
Marvel Studios
Black Panther was T’Challa’s story, and showed the Black Panther being challenged as the King of Wakanda. While these challenges came from other male characters, but in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the death of T’Challa sees the focus shifting to those who are left behind who were closes to him. This means more focus being put on the females who surrounded him, including his family. Ryan Coogler recently said of the focus change:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on November 11.
“It was just the right story to tell. These were the characters who were most affected by T’Challa’s passing, so we focused on the people who were appropriate. It’s not about pushing women forward or holding men back; it’s about telling the story that is organic. I think sometimes, maybe from the outside, there’s a thought that there are agendas at play. But it’s just telling good stories, and we are blessed with an amazing cast who breathes life into these characters and makes you want to see what’s happening with Shuri or what’s happening with Okoye or what’s happening with Lupita or what’s happened with Ramonda. To not highlight them would have been a disservice to the story, and so I think the movies better for it. If we would have had to wedge in some new male characters just to have that voice, that would have seemed more performative than then just telling the story we told.”
