Who are you backing?
The first trailer for
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dropped on Sunday and among the excitement of phase four kicking into fifth gear, people are getting seriously swept up with one question: who is the next
Black Panther?
In the trailer for the much-anticipated
Black Panther sequel, which runs for just over two minutes, we see everything from a look at
Marvel's version of Atlantis, returning characters like Okoye, Shori and M'baku; T'Challa's mourning mother, Ramonda, as well as what the world of Wakanda looks like after their king's death.
Following actor
Chadwick Boseman's passing in 2020, Marvel stated that they
would not be recasting his role under any circumstances; however, as you can see in the trailer, we get a glimpse of someone else wearing the iconic suit and plenty of people think they know who it is:
https://twitter.com/alfievampire/status/1551016278013476865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1551016278013476865%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unilad.com%2Ffilm-and-tv%2Fblack-panther-fans-think-they-know-whos-in-the-suit-wakanda-forever-20220725
Killmonger?
As you can see, one of the first and most popular shouts is
Michael B. Jordan's character from the first film, Killmonger. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'didn't he die?' Yes, he did, but you didn't see his body... Don't be angry at us, it's an age-old rule when it comes to movies and TV - unless you saw them die, you can never rule it out.
Moreover, not only have people posed the possibility that this is another variant of the character (the multiverse has pretty much made anything possible now) but other's have pointed out that this shot of the suit shows
gold trim - i.e. the same we saw him wearing as the antagonist in the first film.
https://twitter.com/GeekZoneGZ/status/1551016777227853824?s=20&t=9PaNWQyIk1LEtRQOSWjG_Q
As it turns out, the multiverse theory is a pretty popular one also, with one commenter suggesting that not only does Shuri (Leticia Wright) bring back her brother but she might also bring back a variant Killmonger in the process.
It would help explain the gold trim.
https://twitter.com/SilentTrumpet/status/1551562454064402433?s=20&t=L5e5WZRALtNd1WdpKYML9Q
Is sister Shuri to become the next Black Panther?
Regardless, many people have noted that this particular silhouette might be a bit too lean to be MBJ but are instead insisting that the person now donning the claws and cowl is Shuri herself, with her arguably being the one with the technological background to make the suit work for her - a la Tony Stark etc.
https://twitter.com/TheMarv3ls/status/1551406545392451587?s=20&t=db8FAFu1UiegpVxyg_S1HQ
https://twitter.com/cascasdoll/status/1551406495044026368?s=20&t=db8FAFu1UiegpVxyg_S1HQ
https://twitter.com/Bram_TheMan/status/1551032630338002945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1551032630338002945%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
It's worth noting that Shuri did eventually go on to wear the vibranium suit in the 2010 comic book series,
Klaws of the Panther.
That being said, not everyone is on board with that hypothetical casting due to some of the 28-year-old actor's
reported personal opinions surrounding covid vaccines.
https://twitter.com/City_Avenger/status/1551105270625046530?s=20&t=db8FAFu1UiegpVxyg_S1HQ
Sod variants and lore, people want Okoye
The next candidate for the role is
The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira, a.k.a. Okoye, the leader of Wakanda's all-female legion, the Dora Milaje.
Having played the role of resident badass in the first film, essentially fought by T'Challa's side since day one and having lots of background in big-budget action as the aforementioned Michonne in
TWD, this would make a lot of sense too.
https://twitter.com/VaultXIV/status/1551385678587502594?s=20&t=L5e5WZRALtNd1WdpKYML9Q
https://twitter.com/vincefalconi/status/1551267804032139268?s=20&t=L5e5WZRALtNd1WdpKYML9Q
On the other hand, many people love her character as is and are calling for her to be given her own spin-off show on
Disney+, which just so happens to be a question she dodged only recently in an
interview with Variety.
https://twitter.com/yourditarrie_/status/1470051173994577926?s=20&t=L5e5WZRALtNd1WdpKYML9Q
What about Nakia?
The last option we saw a significant amount of shouts for was Nakia, Lupita Nyong'o, who acted both as T'Challa's love interest in the first film and also as an intensely skilled fighter in her own right.
As part of the War Dogs in the comics, Nakia is often sent around the world to complete secret missions but as we saw in the trailer, she looks to be very much in the heart of a grieving family and nation. More importantly, it seems a large section of the MCU fan base really wants it to be her:
https://twitter.com/russellholly/status/1551329732108713985?s=20&t=L5e5WZRALtNd1WdpKYML9Q
https://twitter.com/therealsupes/status/1551243224143970304?s=20&t=9PaNWQyIk1LEtRQOSWjG_Q
However, not everyone is so convinced by this theory either, as one commenter quickly pointed out that the rules surrounding who can consume 'The Heart-Shaped Herb' and therefore take on the mantle are supposed to be of royal blood.
In fairness, Nakia's backstory wasn't really delved into much in the first film - royal origin twist incoming?
https://twitter.com/Deekoxperience/status/1551582559242522635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1551582559242522635%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
Who is the baby?
Honestly, we've even seen some people claiming that Ramonda could step up to the plate, but somehow we can't see Angela Bassett missing out on playing an even more powerful matriarch figure than she last time around.
Lastly, although we already know the villain of the sequel will be Atlantis' Namor and this is likely who we're looking at, some people are suggesting that the baby shown in an underwater shot could be T'Challa's previously unknown heir. At this point, it's as good as anyone's guess.
https://twitter.com/__adel22/status/1551025077306654720?s=20&t=zMKYM1jmIi7gCOTSfPPrXA
https://twitter.com/alxtweetz/status/1551413531106582528?s=20&t=zMKYM1jmIi7gCOTSfPPrXA
We're buried in so many theories we can barely breathe, all we know is that we're excited to see what the sequel means for the future of Marvel and that no one can fill Chadwick's shoes - not that they'd ever try.
Wakanda Forever!
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