Marvel Studios premiered the first teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at San Diego Comic-Con. The somber and moving preview illuminated far more about the upcoming movie perhaps than fans may have anticipated. While major aspects about the story remain a mystery, the trailer contains many hints and clues toward what awaits fans in November.
The trailer reveals that Namor, the Sub-Mariner plays a major role in the movie and that war between Wakanda and Atlantis leads to devastating consequences. The teaser also suggests the movie deals with the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in ways that likely run counter to expectations, presenting a powerful, unique movie that seeks to find hope and optimism in the midst of despair.
Long Live The King
Marvel Studios made clear prior to the trailer that the movie would not recast T'Challa after Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing. The trailer reveals the movie likely begins with T'Challa's funeral. A moving image features a mural of T'Challa in Wakanda, with the words "The king lives and the panther... forever in us..." written in Wakandan.
This image appears to be in the same sequence as others from the trailer featuring Wakandans in white ceremonial dress, playing music and engaging in celebratory dancing. These shots make clear the movie intended to celebrate T'Challa's life and work, as much as Chadwick Boseman's, dealing with the tragic circumstances in perhaps unexpected ways.
Women Are The Future In Wakanda
The trailer opens with a stirring rendition of Bob Marley's iconic song "No Woman, No Cry," as Nakia looks out on the ocean. Women play a vital role in the trailer, with Queen Ramonda, Shuri, Riri Williams, and even a mysterious Atlantean woman featuring throughout. Ramonda inherits the throne with her son's passing, and forcefully delivers the trailer's most powerful moment.
She painfully declares "I am the queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone." This moment also hints that T'Challa may not be the only tragedy in the movie for Ramonda.
Shuri's Fate
Shuri plays a key role in the teaser and much speculation centers on her becoming Black Panther. Shuri ranks among the most powerful Black Panther variants in Marvel Comics and she may in the MCU, but the teaser hints that things may not play exactly as expected. Ramonda's line suggests something also happens to Shuri, and her route to becoming Black Panther proves difficult thanks to Killmonger.
Killmonger destroyed Wakanda's Heart Shaped Herb supply in the first movie in order to prevent any challengers to his rule. This complicates Shuri's becoming Black Panther and anyone else's, though her genius could aids in developing a synthetic solution. Shuri likely dons the Black Panther costume in any case, but she could be injured in battle against the movie's villains.
War Between Wakanda And Atlantis
The trailer makes clear the plot involves an all-out war between Wakanda and Atlantis. Both kingdoms represent the most powerful and important fictional countries within the Marvel Universe and have come to blows many times in the comics. A key event from Avengers vs. X-Men appears to have inspired a devastating sequence in the movie.
A tidal wave crashes into the Wakanda throne room, which is later seen flooded and on fire. In the comic book storyline, Namor uses the Phoenix Force to unleash a devastating tidal wave against Wakanda. This leads to a major war between the two, and eventually, Shuri leading a retaliatory strike against Atlantis which destroys the underwater kingdom.
Namor Arrives
The teaser reveals a major Marvel character finally joins the MCU. Comic book fans know Namor the Sub-Mariner, the King of Atlantis, debuted in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, making him (along with the original Human Torch) the oldest Marvel character. Actor Tenoch Huerta brings the iconic character to the screen for the first time, and makes an incredible impression in a few brief shots.
Namor appears very similar to his classic comic book look, with some key differences that add intriguing layers to the history of Atlantis and its people within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A Mayan Legacy For Atlantis
Namor's costume features several golden design elements that echo Mayan culture. All the Atlanteans bear these same intriguing details, suggesting a possible link in the MCU between the ancient Mayan people and the mythical Atlantis. Another shot from the beginning of the trailer reinforces this, with Nakia standing on a shore with a Mayan-like temple in the background.
Namor also appears in another shot at a mural that reflects Mayan art, including a serpent-like creature that seems to figure prominently in the Atlantean's iconography within the upcoming movie.
The Serpent
The trailer includes several stunning images from director Ryan Coogler and cinematographer Autumn Durald. A striking one reveals Namor descending to the throne of Atlantis, constructed from the open jaws of an incredible creature, possibly the sea serpent from the Atlantean mural.
Namor also wears a ceremonial headdress in several shots that also features the serpent's head. This creature may simply exist in Atlantean mythology, or could potentially factor in the war with Wakanda. The Atlanteans use whales as troop transports essentially in a few key shots.
Ironheart
Several shots in the new trailer reveal a major new character for the MCU. Riri Williams becomes Ironheart in the comic books after Tony Stark's death and it seems she's on a similar path in the movies. Ironheart forges her armor in the teaser, including pounding out an iconic heart emblem in a shot that echoes Stark forging his original armor in Iron Man.
Williams likely plays a key role in the movie, bonding with Shuri over their love of science and helping to defend Wakanda against Atlantis. She features in her own upcoming Disney+ streaming series due in 2023.
Doom War
The SDCC trailer gives the most attention to a mysterious sequence set on a deep sea platform or vessel of some kind. A masked and armed group infiltrates the vessel, where some kind of scientific work occurs, perhaps indicating how the war starts in the movie and also possibly signaling the true villain. The movie takes many elements from the comics, and one thing they may also adapt is Doom War.
The Doom War storyline features Doctor Doom instigating civil war within Wakanda to destabilize it so he can plunder its vibranium. Someone, possibly doom, may be seeking vibranium deposits in the ocean, leading to conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis. Doom ranks among the most powerful Black Panther villains, and he could very well make his MCU debut in the movie.
Black Panther Forever
The trailer ends with an intriguing shot of Black Panther extending their claws on a devastated beach. This mysterious figure wears a golden-laced costume with clear visual connections to Killmonger's costume from the first movie. While Killmonger potentially appears in the movie through some unforeseen means, this particular character is a woman.
Comic book lore suggests it's Shuri, though this isn't certain. Queen Ramonda's line in the trailer regarding her family places some doubt on Shuri's role as Black Panther and this shot may occur during the initial Atlantean attack rather than the movie's climax. Other candidates exist within the movie, including Nakia, the first person to appear in the trailer.