Black Panther 2 Focuses on the World of Wakanda

Black Panther 2 will focus on the world of Wakanda, according to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. The upcoming sequel to 2018's Black Panther is currently set to start filming this summer ahead of its July 8, 2022 release. The first film became one of the most successful MCU films, garnering over $1.3 billion at the box office and the highest-grossing film ever made by a Black filmmaker. The titular superhero was first brought to life in 2016's Captain America: Civil War before his solo film focused on his rise to king of the highly advanced and hidden country of Wakanda.

While director Ryan Cooler and the majority of the cast are slated to return for the sequel, the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman to stage four colon cancer back in August means that fans sadly won't get to see where the actor would have gone with the titular superhero, also known as King T'Challa. Kevin Feige recently confirmed that T'Challa will not be recast in future MCU movies to honor Boseman's legacy, which many have taken to believe that the mantle could be passed onto T'Challa's genius younger sister Shuri. Details regarding the upcoming sequel's storyline have remained largely under wraps, but fans are now getting a little more insight into what they can expect from the film with the absence of Boseman's legendary role.

In an interview with Deadline, Feige spoke about the future of the Black Panther franchise following Boseman's death. While confirming that Black Panther would not be recast or have a CGI recreation, Feige revealed that the sequel would instead focus on the unexplored parts of Wakanda and other characters previously featured in the Marvel comics. Read Feige's full comment below:

So much of the comics and that first movie is the world of Wakanda. Wakanda is a place to further explore with characters and different subcultures. This was always and initially the primary focus of the next story. We’re not going to have a CG Chadwick and we’re not recasting T’Challa. Ryan Coogler is working very hard right now on the script with all the respect and love and genius that he has, which gives us great solace, so it was always about furthering the mythology and the inspiration of Wakanda. There’s also the task of honoring and respecting the ongoing learnings and teachings from Chad as well.

T'Challa, Nakia and Shuri in traditional clothes in Black Panther

As Marvel fans know, Wakanda is a fictional country in Eastern Africa that is known for its advanced technology and weapons, as well as its use of the powerful Marvel metal vibranium. Wakanda has gained so much worldwide recognition that it even received an official entry on Dictionary.com last year that dives into the fictional country's history and its significance in the Marvel universe.

Marvel's decision to not re-cast T'Challa is the best choice they could have made, as it is difficult to imagine anyone else in that role, especially so soon after he first brought the character to life. Not only will it be interesting to see more of the characters introduced in the first film, like Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia or Danai Gurira's Okoye, but there is also clearly so much more to learn about Wakanda itself in Black Panther 2. The country has been featured in a few MCU movies thus far, but there is plenty of room to expand on the country's culture and technology. Black Panther was wildly successful for Marvel, with fans and critics alike praising the film, so fans can expect to see a lot more of Wakanda going forward.

More: Why Black Panther 2 Should Explore More Of Wakanda's Biggest Threat (Itself)

Source: Deadline