Black Panther: Wakanda Forever costume designer Ruth E. Carter explains how the white costumes seen at T'Challa's funeral are callbacks to a key Chadwick Boseman scene. Directed by Ryan Coogler, who also helmed 2018's successful Black Panther, the upcoming sequel is set to mark the end of MCU Phase 4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will follow Shuri (Letitia Wright), Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and Okoye (Danai Gurira) as they mourn the loss of King T'Challa, while also dealing with a formidable new threat on the world stage.

Boseman, who was first introduced as T'Challa back in Captain America: Civil War back in 2016, tragically passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer. Instead of recasting the role of T'Challa, the decision was made for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to take place about a year after the Wakandan King's death. Although T'Challa may be gone, trailers for the film have already teased that a new character has taken up the mantle of the Black Panther in his stead. In addition to featuring the same superhero action that fans have come to expect from Marvel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailers have also made clear that the film will be an emotional affair, with T'Challa's funeral being seen in several clips.

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In a recent interview with Variety, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever costume designer Carter reveals that the white clothes worn by Shuri, Ramonda, and the other Wakandans during T'Challa's funeral scene are actually a callback to the first film. In Black Panther, T'Challa journeys to the Ancestral Plane to visit his late father, which Carter says was a major source of inspiration behind her approach to the sequel's funeral costumes. Check out Carter's full comment below:

In the Ancestral Plane, when T’Challa wakes up and sees his father, he’s wearing white. White is a color that’s worn in a lot of funerals in Africa — it’s either bright red or it’s white — and we chose white because it connects us to Chadwick, to T’Challa.

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Chadwick Boseman Black Panther Ancestral Plane

Carter's comment about honoring T'Challa seems to be representative of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a whole. Although the film will introduce Tenoch Huerta's Namor into the MCU and move the overarching story forward, it also seems dedicated to acting both as a closing chapter and the start of a new era. Boseman's T'Challa quickly became a fan-favorite after his various MCU appearances and, although many fans believe the role should have been recast for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel can honor everything the late actor brought to the character while also carrying on and maintaining a sense of hope for the future.

It remains to be seen how successfully Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will pull off this delicate balancing act, but the film is already shaping up to be one of the most emotional MCU entries to date. While many may be disappointed that T'Challa was not recast for Black Panther's sequel, the introduction of the multiverse into the MCU means that the franchise can honor Boseman while also keeping the door open for other versions of T'Challa to appear in the future. With Carter's reveal that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's funeral scene honors an early moment for Boseman's T'Challa, it's likely that the rest of the film will feature other subtle callbacks and references.

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Source: Variety

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