What Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Reveals About The Future Of The MCU

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever included many different details that set up the future of the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the final film in Marvel Studios' Phase 4, so naturally had a lot of elements that set up Phases 5 and 6. The film was written and directed once again by Ryan Coogler and told the story of the Wakandan people struggling to cope with the death of King T'Challla while dealing with a potential war with a secret underwater nation.

Outside of masterfully navigating the unenviable position of following up Black Panther without its central star, Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also served competently as an MCU film that includes hints about the future of the franchise. From its exploration of Wakanda as a country, elements tied to Wakanda like vibranium, the introduction of Namor and Riri Williams, and some hints at future MCU villains, Black Panther 2 features many elements intrinsic to the MCU's future. With that being said, here are the major reveals from the film that are tied to Phases 5, 6, and beyond.

Other World Powers Want Vibranium

Vibranium spreads throughout the land of Wakanda

One of the major elements of Black Panther 2 that was introduced in the opening sequences, and was still somewhat unresolved at the end of the film, was other countries craving the power of vibranium. The opening sequence established that, in the absence of the Black Panther following T'Challa's death, other countries attempted to take advantage and obtain vibranium. This led to offensive actions being taken against Wakanda, which could come into play in the future of the MCU. This led to the introduction of Talokan, with the USA's attempt at gaining vibranium drawing Namor to threaten Wakanda.

Valentina Allegra de Fontane Is The CIA Director

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine talking to Yelena Belova in Black Widow

The American attempt at gaining vibranium came from Riri Williams/Ironheart who built a vibranium detector on behalf of the CIA. One of the biggest reveals from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was that Valentina Allegra de Fontane is now the director of the CIA. Valentina de Fontane was first introduced to the MCU in Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a mysterious figure with unknown allegiances, recruiting antiheroes like John Walker and Yelena Belova in Black Widow. With the character, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, expected to play a big role in Marvel's upcoming Thunderbolts, Black Panther 2 has laid the groundwork for the character's proper focus in 2024.

Namor Still Wants To Wage War On The Surface World

Another major aspect that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced that will undoubtedly impact the MCU's future is Namor and his underwater city of Talokan. Namor was the antagonist of Black Panther 2, though with very understandable motivations. Much like Shuri, Okoye, Nakia, M'Baku, and Queen Ramonda, Namor just wants to do what is right for his people. As Talokan was secret, and Riri Williams' CIA operations to find vibranium compromised this secrecy due to Wakanda's unwillingness to share the rare material, Namor went to war with Wakanda when they refused to kill Riri Williams.

Despite Namor and Talokan still remaining secret to the wider MCU outside of Wakanda, Namor's grudge against the surface world for the enslavement of the Mayan people remained. While Namor and Shuri brokered a truce between their respective countries, it was established that Namor is using the truce with Wakanda to eventually seek his revenge on the surface during the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending. This will surely play a part in at least a future Black Panther movie, if not wider MCU projects in Phase 5 or 6.

Namor's Mutant History Means The MCU Can Easily Introduce The X-Men

Namor's introduction makes it much easier to introduce another aspect of the MCU's future plans: the X-Men. Namor was confirmed as a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and it is the first time that any MCU project has said the word itself. Namor is proof that mutants can exist in the MCU without being widely known, as Namor is over 500 years old. Through tying Namor to the secrecy of Talokan, he was hidden from the rest of the MCU before being brought into the light by a valid story reason. Through Namor and his mutant powers in the MCU, Marvel are one step closer to introducing the X-Men.

Wakanda Is Not Yet Affected By The Multiverse

One of the aspects that was not touched on in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, that will undoubtedly be a bigger feature in Phases 5 and 6, is the multiverse. As established by Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios' Comic-Con 2022 panel, Phases 4, 5, and 6 of the MCU will make up the Multiverse Saga following on from the Infinity Saga. This was evident in Phase 4 projects such as Loki, What If...?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which all tied directly to multiversal events.

With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania expected to introduce the MCU's next main villain, Kang the Conqueror, in the first film of Phase 5, the Multiverse Saga is building to another two Avengers films. That being said, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made it clear that Wakanda and its citizens aren't yet affected by the multiverse. While this was likely due to the film tackling the loss of Chadwick Boseman and T'Challa in order to put the necessary level of emotion into that aspect of the sequel, this means that Wakanda and the new Black Panther in Shuri will almost certainly have to deal with the multiverse in the future.

M’Baku Is The King Of Wakanda

Winston Duke as M'Baku holding a staff in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

One aspect of Wakanda Forever's story that was established at the end of the film was the new King of Wakanda: M'Baku. As opposed to T'Challa's role, and all previous Black Panthers, in which the mantle of King and Black Panther was held by the same person, Shuri instead holds the Black Panther title while M'Baku became King of Wakanda. While this may not have a massive impact in regard to the wider story of the Multiverse Saga, it surely means that M'Baku has a bigger role in ensemble events going forward, as he is now the leader of one of Earth's most powerful nations.

Riri Williams Means Iron Man Officially Has A Replacement (But Needs A New Suit)

RiRi Williams in the Ironheart MCU Mark II armor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Another new character introduced to the MCU through Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was Riri Williams. Riri Williams is a character from Marvel Comics who becomes Iron Man's successor, Ironheart. With Black Panther 2 introducing her equipped with her own highly advanced Iron Man-like suit, Tony Stark now officially has his MCU replacement. With Riri being tied heavily to Wakanda through Black Panther 2, it's likely she will play a big role in the MCU's future, due to Wakanda's importance to the universe. While there are a few differences between the MCU Ironheart and the comics version, Riri Williams' technological genius and suits will be a big MCU aspect going forward.

That being said, at the end of Black Panther 2, Riri had her suit taken off her. Due to Riri building her Mark II Ironheart suit in Wakanda, likely out of vibranium, Shuri told her that she cannot be allowed to take it outside of Wakanda, which Riri agreed with. This means that Ironheart now needs a new suit, something that will undoubtedly be focused on in her own upcoming show, Ironheart, streaming in 2023.

The MCU May Be Setting Up Doctor Doom After All

Arguably one of the more theorized topics of the MCU is the eventual appearance of Doctor Doom. With projects like Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars coming in Phase 6, both of which feature Doom to a massive extent in Marvel Comics, many are expecting Doom to appear in the MCU sooner rather than later. While Doom did not appear in Black Panther 2 as many had theorized, the film still features many hints to the characters MCU future.

One of these comes with the introduction of the Midnight Angels, a suit of armor worn by Okoye and Aneka in the film's final battle against Talokan. In the comics, the Midnight Angel suits were built to assassinate Doom during his invasion of Wakanda. Hearkening back to the point of other nations coveting vibranium, Doom's European nation of Latveria - that was invading Wakanda in the aforementioned comics' story - could be one of those countries in the MCU. If MCU's Doctor Doom seeks vibranium, it stands to reason he could invade Wakanda, providing another geopolitical story for the movie universe's world.

This could all link to Wakanda Forever's new character Riri Williams in a few ways. One aspect that is clear about Doom from the comics is that he is heavily versed in both technology and magic. Despite having a superior intellect to rival his archenemy Reed Richards, Doom is also a capable sorcerer. One thing that the MCU has established is that vibranium can impact both technological and magical prowess greatly, which could serve as his reasoning for invading Wakanda. This links to Riri as her Ironheart series is confirmed to deal with the combination of technology and magic, making her similar to the comics' Doom in a sense.

A character confirmed to appear in Ironheart is The Hood - a criminal who gains a hood that allows him to tap into dark energy and magic. Also rumored for the series is Mephisto, another magical deity in Marvel Comics. Both of these characters link to Doom's comics story when Doom attempted to turn superhero as the Infamous Iron Man, and The Hood and Mephisto stopped him and returned him to his supervillain ways. All of this can hint at Doctor Doom's MCU future, thanks to the many reveals included in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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