With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder in the bag, there's only one more movie left for release in 2022: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The project will see Wakanda reeling from the loss of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa as the nation must brace itself against one of the biggest threats they've ever faced in Namor and his underwater nation.
Many have hailed the film's first trailer as one of the best Marvel Studios has ever put out—needless to say, fans are excited to see the Ryan Coogler-directed movie.
On top of several returning characters, the new story will be introducing a handful of new faces. One of the most important is Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who actually will be leading her own Disney+ series after Wakanda Forever. Then there's Namor, the big bad of the piece, who will also have his own supporting cast members in Namora and Attuma.
Now, some new art has surfaced that showcases the designs of a majority of the film's cast of colorful characters.
New Art for Black Panther 2 Cast
Thanks to @MCU_Facility on Twitter, some new promotional art pieces for eight of the main characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have been released.
The first showcases Letitia Wright's Shuri who sports a new haircut and a bright purple outfit.
Next up is Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, who is wearing a snazzy new green outfit with more than a few eye-catching designs. The character also holds some interesting new ring weapons that seem to be a slight evolution from her previous circular blades.
Danai Gurira's Okoye is seen donning her classic Dora Milaje outfit, ready to take on the threats facing Wakanda.
M'Baku is seen in his Jabari uniform with Winston Duke holding his unique staff.
Alex Livinalli, who plays Attuma, sports an awesome-looking headpiece and wields one deadly-looking staff.
Tenoch Huerta's Namor looks as regal as ever, with his little winged feet keeping him afloat in both the ocean and skies.
Many are wondering whether the winglets are a sign of Namor's mutant status in the MCU, and one certain Marvel star certainly thinks so.
Mabel Cadena's Namora looks ready for action with a flashy feathered crown atop her head and a razor-sharp blade ready to thrust into her enemies.
Last but certainly not least is Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams who looks to be wearing her Mark I uniform, which features a large arc reactor in the middle of her chest. The suit in Wakanda Forever is a lot more rudimentary than the one seen in Ironheart, which is a bit more reminiscent of the classic Iron Man design.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Excludes One Notable Suit Design
Needless to say, just from the looks seen above, the designs for the upcoming film are simply incredible. It's not surprising, however, since the first Black Panther did walk away with an Oscar for Best Costume Design back in 2019. It seems that the same award might be in Wakanda Forever's future as well.
One of the big things to note is how Riri Williams looks to have at least two scrappy-looking Mark I designs in her future. There's the one seen above, and then her bulky silver suit which was spotted in recent set photos. This begs the question: when might fans be able to see her more sleek and iconic design?
There is, of course, a notable omission from the lineup so far due to spoilery reasons, that being the absence of the new Black Panther costume's design. Left out to save the reveal of who is taking on the mantle for the upcoming film, many have been left to believe that Shuri will be the one to don the suit, particularly since she's donning relatively civilian clothing in the released artwork and due to potential hints from other merchandise.
Letitia Wright has continued to play coy about her role in the film though, so it remains to be seen whether she will take on the mantle from her brother.
Aside from the new cast members, many of the returning characters look fairly similar to their debut designs in Black Panther. Out of the bunch, Nakia is the one sporting the most radical redesign—though, obviously, there are bound to be a few more styles awaiting fans when the movie officially lands in theaters on November 11 later this year.
