Black Panther will not only explore T'Challa grappling with becoming a ruler, but will focus on the rise of his sister Shuri as a potential successor. Thanks to T'Challa's appearance in Captain America: Civil War and the film's teaser trailer, Black Panther is one of Marvel's more anticipated movies. More than that, it may be one of the most buzzed-about blockbusters in years, given its unique cultural perspective and focus on a protagonist who's less a superhero and more a regent.
While the main focus of the movie will be on T'Challa and his journey, he'll also have a number of allies helping him. And that's a good thing, as the film is packed with people trying to depose the new king. There's Erik Killmonger, who will be the Magneto to T'Challa's Professor X. Then there's Klaue, who has a personal vendetta against the Black Panther. And on top of that, strife from within Wakanda will see leaders like M'Baku challenging the king. But as much as Black Panther will contrast T'Challa with his foes, it will also put a spotlight on his relationship with his family.
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During San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, we were able to talk to Black Panther stat Letitia Wright about her character Shuri's relationship with T'Challa. Not only are they brother and sister, but the comics have also elevated Shuri to a Black Panther herself. So what exactly is the dynamic of Shuri and T'Challa's relationship, and how will it affect things in the MCU moving forward?
"Their relationship in the film is going to be...you know in the comics in the beginning, you don’t really see them together. They are always challenging each other but, in the film, what Ryan did was he brought them together as a brother and a sister who’s got each others backs. But then you don’t know how that’s going to carry on in the future of the films and that’s the dope little thing of depth. Something interesting. Something to keep you hooked. I just love it. It’s like a little sister, big brother type of thing. And she thinks she’s smarter than him. And he thinks she, her mouth is always running and they have that, but they love each other. And we see moments where they have to encourage each other and I’m excited for people to see that."
While there's no telling when or if Shuri will don the Panther mantle, the film will help give the character her own strengths. In the comics, many of Wakanda's ruling elite are geniuses, but T'Challa is generally shown to be one of the most gifted scientific and technological minds on the planet. So far, we haven't had any real hint that this will remain the case in the film. It seems, however, that a number of T'Challa's traits are being passed to Shuri to help differentiate her from her brother.
We know most of Wakanda's tech and weapons will be created by Shuri, including the nanotech suit that T'Challa wears. And with Killmonger also possessing his own suit, it's a good thing Shuri is on Black Panther's side. Hopefully, the next trailer will dive more into Shuri's character and touch on T'Challa's own intellect. While we know we won't be seeing the SDCC footage from Black Panther, the cast's reaction to it suggests it will be something to behold. So as we wait for the next look at the movie, stay tuned for more things Black Panther.
