Black Panther 2 will have the Wakandan royal family back, and it’s the perfect opportunity for Marvel Studios to make Shuri a proper superhero. The Marvel Cinematic Universe reached its peak with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, with Spider-Man: Far From Home closing the Infinity Saga, but that doesn’t mean the MCU is over. This connected universe will continue expanding with the introduction of new characters (such as the Eternals and Shang-Chi) and new adventures from heroes that have already been introduced, among those Black Panther.
Following the success of the first film, Marvel Studios decided to move forward with a second Black Panther adventure. The sequel will have Ryan Coogler back as director and has a projected release date for May 2022. Although the film is in development, plot details are a complete mystery, as well as which new characters will join T’Challa and company, but some characters from the first film are confirmed to return, among those Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s younger sister.
Shuri was Black Panther’s breakout character, leaving a big impression in MCU fans with her intelligence, sense of humor, confidence, loyalty, and kindness. Shuri came back in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the latter being a much smaller role. Now, with Black Panther 2 arriving in a near future, it’s time for the MCU to make her a true superhero – after all, she has everything she needs to be one.
Shuri Is Black Panther’s Best Character
As mentioned above, Shuri was Black Panther’s breakout character, leaving fans wanting to learn more about her. Black Panther was a game-changer in the MCU and the superhero genre in general thanks to its representation of African and African-American communities, their traditions, and more, and its cultural importance is much bigger than that of any other MCU film to date. T’Challa is a superhero younger viewers can look up to, but Shuri is also one to admire. Portrayed as a 16-year-old, Shuri is the mind behind the majority of Wakandan technology, including her brother’s suits and the weapons he uses, and it’s no secret that she’s a genius. In fact, she has been confirmed to be the smartest character in the MCU, even more than Tony Stark.
However, Shuri is much more than a teenage genius that spends a lot of time in her lab – one of the traits that made viewers connect with her was her sense of humor. Shuri is sarcastic and teases her brother at any given chance (like when he decided to wear sandals). Being Queen Ramonda’s daughter, Shuri is Wakanda’s princess, but she’s far from the stereotypical image of princesses (specially Disney ones). It’s not surprising that Wright considers her a good role model for young black girls, and that she’s consider by most as Black Panther’s best (and most promising) character.
Shuri Needs An Even Bigger Role In Black Panther 2 (& The MCU’s Future)
Shuri is part of the main cast of Black Panther, and is a very important element in Wakanda, but she was a secondary character, and her role was reduced to T’Challa’s genius younger sister with the best one-liners. Shuri came back in Avengers: Infinity War and helped the Avengers try to extract the mind stone from Vision’s forehead without killing him, which she almost achieved, but was interrupted when Thanos and his army arrived. Just like her brother, Shuri vanished after Thanos’ snap, and came back in the third act of Avengers: Endgame, fighting alongside her brother and the Wakandan army.
Shuri has already proven to have everything she needs to be a superhero in the MCU: not only is she the smartest and has a lot of resources that would grant her all types of weapons and special characteristics in her suits, but she’s also kind and always willing to help others, not just people from Wakanda (as seen with Vision, Everett Ross, and Bucky Barnes). Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has already teased that there will be more Shuri in future Marvel films, and Black Panther 2 should be the beginning of her transition into a bigger character in the MCU, one that isn’t there just to build everything his brother needs. In addition to that, if T’Challa is set to retire at some point as other heroes have (such as Captain America), Shuri would be the one taking his place as ruler of Wakanda and Black Panther, and Black Panther 2 is the perfect chance to start building on that, which would also make way for her appearance in other MCU films outside the Black Panther series.
How Black Panther 2 Can Make Shuri A Proper Superhero
Black Panther saw Shuri hard at work at her lab, building all types of things for her brother to use, and helping fix all those “broken white boys”. It also saw Shuri fighting alongside Nakia and the Dora Milaje to defend Wakanda from Killmonger and his followers, but it was still focused on her achievements at the lab. However, Avengers: Endgame proved that Shuri has the ability to fight right next to heroes like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, even if her on-screen time was very brief. Black Panther 2 could do something as easy yet effective as having her fighting next to her brother against whatever villain he encounters this time, thus serving as more than just the designer of everything he wears and uses.
Another way Black Panther 2 can make Shuri a proper superhero is by having T’Challa step down as Black Panther (but not die). T’Challa is still new to the throne and the role of king, and given that he was one of the fallen heroes in Infinity War, Wakanda was left without a king for five years. It’s unknown who ruled Wakanda between Infinity War and Endgame, but supposing T’Challa took the throne back without an issue, he could choose to focus on his role as king and pass on the mantle of Black Panther to – who else – Shuri. That would surely be a learning experience for both.
Could Shuri Eventually Become The New Black Panther?
Shuri becoming Black Panther isn’t outside the realm of possibility simply because it already happened in the comics. After T’Challa is left in a comatose state, Shuri becomes the new Black Panther, and once T’Challa recovers, Wakanda has two Black Panthers to keep it safe. Of course, the MCU is different to the comics, and the Shuri fans saw on the big screen is not the same they can find in the comics – still, that shouldn’t be an obstacle. While it’s unknown if the Heart-Shaped Herb (which grants the heir to the mantle of the Black Panther enhanced physical abilities) is truly extinct, there might be other ways for her to go through the ritual and get the same physical abilities that previous Black Panthers had, this in order to keep the tradition going and give her the same chances as the rest.
It’s still too early to know when Shuri could become the new Black Panther, as it all depends on what Marvel has planned for T’Challa – and given the studios’ legendary secrecy, they will surely keep it a secret until it’s on the big screen (as they did with Captain America and Falcon in Endgame). If T’Challa is set to have the same fate as in the comics, then Shuri will definitely become Black Panther, though not as soon as many would like. It they are planning something different, it could happen as early as in Black Panther 2, and the scenarios mentioned above are just some of the ways this could happen. What’s true is that Shuri deserves to have a bigger role in Black Panther 2 and beyond, and become a proper superhero – whether a Black Panther or a hero of her own.
