A new promo video for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reveals new footage from the funeral of central hero T'Challa. The sequel to the MCU's first and only Oscar winning film, Ryan Coogler's 2018 Black Panther, releases later this year and already has Marvel fans buzzing with anticipation for a return to the awe-inspiring Wakanda. Many of the original cast from the first film are reprising their roles, with Latitia Wright as Shuri, Angela Basset as Ramonda, and Winston Duke as M'Baku all notably returning to the MCU for this new installment to the franchise.
However, due to the tragic passing of central star Chadwick Boseman, who perfectly embodied T'Challa for his MCU introduction in Captain America: Civil War, the story of Wakanda and its people will regrettably have to continue without the dearly missed actor and character at its helm. After what seemed to be great deliberation from the writer's at Marvel, previous trailers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have teased that T'Challa's sister Shuri may be taking the mantle of the titular hero. In the absence of their king and protector, Shuri and her people will have to do battle against the deadly Mutant-Atlantean Namor.
In a new video released by the Marvel Studios, new footage is revealed of the funeral for the dearly departed T'Challa. A loss that the in-world characters of the MCU and the actors that play them have been clearly impacted by. Check out the new footage above.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever May Be MCU's Most Emotional Movie Yet
Fans and co-stars of Boseman were equally shocked and devastated by the news of his passing in 2020, with questions surrounding whether T'Challa may be recast within the MCU immediately arising. With both the reveal that Shuri will likely be taking up her brother's mantle and that T'Challa himself will be given a proper narrative send-off as part of the sequel, it appears safe to say that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will do justice to the beloved character and the cherished memory of the man who played him. Footage of the funeral shows some of the central cast gathered together in mourning, Basset's Ramonda in particular dressed in a white gown, holding the helmet of her late son and leading in the expression of remembrance herself and her people hold for their lost hero.
What is particularly moving about the new footage and interviews is the cast's overwhelming love and respect for Boseman, who clearly understood what it meant to so many fans to be able to see a character like T'Challa on the big screen. Despite the tragedy faced in the loss of such a man, who not only brought many childhood comic book dreams to life but also became like family to those he worked alongside, Boseman's co-stars appear not to lament his passing but rather celebrate his life and achievements. For Boseman's own family, those he worked with, and for the rest of the world watching on, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever looks to be every bit the worthy farewell to an inspirational character and the man who brought him to life for an entire generation of adoring fans. It is surely to be emotional, but if the words of Wright, Basset and Duke are to be understood, a cinematic experience that celebrates and cherishes its fallen idols.
Source: Marvel Studios