Black Panther 2 is in some ways similar to The Godfather, a Marvel executive says. Black Panther became an all-time blockbuster when it arrived in theaters back in 2018. Now the smash hit is finally getting a sequel with the long-awaited Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The MCU’s return to Wakanda of course comes under very sad circumstances after the tragic death of T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman in 2020. Now the question for fans is, which character will take on the mantle of Black Panther in T'Challa's stead? Letitia Wright’s Shuri seems to be the betting favorite to succeed T’Challa as Wakanda’s greatest hero (especially after the most recent trailer, which did everything but confirm Shuri as Black Panther), but Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Danai Gurira’s Okoye and Winston Duke’s M’Baku all have their boosters as well.

Related: Black Panther 2 Trailer Could Explain Where Mutants Have Been All Along

When it comes to story specifics about Black Panther 2, almost everything is being kept under wraps until the movie drops. But one Marvel executive did just offer an interesting tease of the movie’s story by comparing it to a 50-year-old film classic. Speaking to Total Film (via The Direct), Marvel VP Nate Moore brought up Francis Ford Coppola’s immortal mob movie The Godfather when discussing Black Panther 2’s Wakanda vs. Talocan plot. See his remarks in the space below:

"This sounds crazy but I’m going to say it. There’s a little bit of a mob movie to this. There’s a little bit of… The Godfather… sounds like I’m being insane, but… There’s that feeling of families of war. Because this movie is very much about Wakanda finding an equal to itself, and Namor’s world of Talocan."

Why are Wakanda and Talocan At War In Black Panther 2?

Tenoch Huerta as Namor in Black Panther 2

As teased in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailers, Talocan is an underwater kingdom ruled by the mutant Namor (Tenoch Huerta). Like Wakanda, Talocan is a highly-advanced civilization that is completely cut off from the rest of the world. And like Wakanda’s leaders, the rulers of Talocan have a long tradition of deliberately maintaining an isolationist stance toward Earth’s other nations.

But Wakanda has obviously undergone changes in recent years, as they’ve begun opening their doors to the world and sharing their technology (T’Challa himself brought about these changes of course, breaking with his people’s long tradition for the good of his nation). But opening doors also means allowing in new threats, and Talocan seems that it will prove to be a very powerful threat indeed. The specifics of why Talocan and Wakanda find themselves at odds will of course be revealed in Black Panther 2, but it appears that the conflict is sparked to some degree by Namor over some old grudge against Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). The two nations also seemingly are at odds over a mysterious facility that is shown in trailers being infiltrated by Dora Milaje warrior Aneka (Michaela Coel).

Marvel VP Moore’s Godfather comparison only seems to confirm that, though Wakanda and Talocan’s conflict seems to be about business, it’s actually more personal than it appears. Thinking about the two nations as battling mob families perhaps helps to clarify the nature of their war, painting a picture of two factions that both want to control the same turf and are willing to commit violence in order to gain the upper hand. No matter what is behind Wakanda and Talocan’s beef, Black Panther 2 is an offer that audiences certainly won’t be able to refuse.

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Source: Total Film (via The Direct)

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