The new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer reveals a plethora of new characters for fans to marvel over. The untimely death of Chadwick Boseman has led many to wonder what the new movie could bring ever since his passing in August 2020. It was announced back in January 2021 by Kevin Feige that the new Black Panther movie would not recast T'Challa, adding that "Wakanda is a place to further explore with characters and different subcultures" [via Cinemablend]. The title of the next movie certainly placed Wakanda at its heart, while the trailer certainly signals a new era not just for the MCU without Boseman but also for Wakanda without T'Challa.
While several cast members return to the big screen in the Black Panther sequel, many new cast members bring exciting roles to the MCU. With Letitia Wright as Shuri, Martin Freeman returning as Everett K. Ross, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Winston Duke as M'Baku, and Angela Bassett as Ramonda, the new cast still feels familiar, despite the devastating exclusion of T'Challa. Three major characters were introduced from the new trailer released at Comic-con 2022.
Those characters are Namor played by Tenoch Huerta, Aneka played by Michaela Coel, and Dominique Thorne's Ironheart, who is now officially introduced to the MCU. Introduced as a good friend to Shuri, the high-tech hotshot looks to team up with Ironheart to create a powerful suit that could not only be influential in this story but in Phase 4 as a whole. Since Marvel films are almost always based on a series of Marvel comics, we can deduce what the roles of these major new characters will be in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Namor
The trailer confirmed a classic Marvel character will be coming to the big screen - Namor. A mutant-hybrid son of a human father and Atlantian princess, Namor is the ruler of Atlantis. The costume design looks Mayan in appearance and suggests Marvel has moved the Kingdom of Atlantis away from the Aegean and nearer to South America. In the comics, Namor was at times a friend and at others a foe of surface-dwellers since he was always loyal to Atlantis - though in the trailer he looks to be the main villain of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever story.
Though the MCU draws large inspiration from the comics, the cinematic timeline will manifest Namor's story differently from the comics. While the comics depicted Namor's direct conflict with King T'Challa and manipulation of Thanos into destroying Wakanda for him, the big screen will not rely on such storylines. The introduction of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness may lead to Namor's intimate involvement with the group as his character in the comics was. Though this may come towards the end of the movie as a resolution between Namor and Wakanda arises in order to defend against a new threat: the Black Swan - as per the comics. Regardless, the feature of the Illuminati would surely link this movie to Marvel's Phase 4 and broader multiverse projects.
Aneka
Originally a combat instructor for the Dora Milaje, Aneka's presence in the comics was influential in the story of Wakanda. Since she has not appeared before in the MCU, despite the prominence of Dora Milaje, it can be expected that her story either begins or comes to a climax in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She may be introduced as an entirely new character to Wakanda, or she may be presented as the combat instructor for the Dora Milaje prior to the events of the original Black Panther who is now coming back for revenge.
If the latter, it may be connected to her story with Ayo in the comics. As both were the best fighters of the Dora Milaje, they were influential in Namor and T'Challa's team-up against a threat to their world. However, when Aneka killed a man who was abusing women in his care, her Dora Milaje sisters imprisoned her. Ayo didn't feel this was right and freed her. The pair spent their time freeing the Wakandan countryside after stealing the Midnight Angel's armor.
While it's clear Aneka is wearing Midnight Angel armor, it is a different color from the traditional Dora Milaje garb. Whether this means Aneka is involved in Namor's threat to Wakanda or her vigilantism has led her to suspend her allegiances, her story with Ayo will undoubtedly be central to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and may make them the secret villains. What is certainly confirmed is the new Queen Ramonda is very angry, and Ayo and Aneka's frequent appearance in the trailer may suggest their link to Ramonda's anger.
Ironheart
Played by Dominique Thorne and known as Riri Williams to her friends, the introduction of Ironheart to the MCU is an exciting development. In the trailer, she is shown to be Shuri's good friend and the pair seem to team up to create a new hero on an Avengers scale. Though her armor in the trailer doesn't suggest similarities between her and Robert Downey Junior's Iron Man, her role in the comics was to continue Iron Man's legacy. How that will manifest on-screen is yet to be seen, but what is clearly confirmed is her name and her genius. As her suit is forged and the unique version of her arc reactor is crafted into a heart shape, the significance of her role in the story is hinted at, and will only be confirmed as more is released on the much-anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Watch the trailer here:
