Marvel Studios will close out its Phase 4 slate over the next couple of months, with one of the slate's last projects coming in November with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And while this epic sequel will help bring the end of one phase and the start of another, fans are already looking forward to how certain characters from this movie will move into Phase 5.
Chief among these characters will be Dominique Thorne's Ironheart, who is already set for her own solo series coming to Disney+ after she makes her MCU debut in Black Panther 2. On top of her inclusion is that of Tenoch Huerta's Namor the Sub-Mariner, a fan-favorite comic character who finally has a chance to join the MCU narrative after a long period of time when Marvel Studios didn't own his full rights.
Now, as Black Panther 2 prepares for its theatrical release in just a few weeks, one of the movie's producers teased how this new adventure will set up even more connections as Phase 5 moves closer to its debut.
Phase 5 Teases Coming in Black Panther 2
Coming from Disney's official production briefing for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, producer Nate Moore discussed the characters in this new movie that will be set up for future storylines in Phase 5 and beyond.
Moore expects that fans will get to celebrate T'Challa and Wakanda's legacy in this movie while also seeing new characters introduced that have never been seen before. He also noted that some of them will be "building blocks for the next phase of the MCU," teasing the importance of a few key players from Black Panther 2 moving forward:
“I think audiences can expect this movie to celebrate both the legacy of the character of T'Challa and that of Wakanda as it continues to move forward. It's going to introduce new characters that you’ve never seen before and be the building blocks for the next phase of the MCU.”
Black Panther 2 Setting the Stage for MCU Future
Looking ahead at Phase 5, there aren't a ton of obvious or natural connections to the events that will take place in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, more material could be added to that slate during the next couple of years, and the entries that do have connections will be big ones for fans to watch out for.
Although Wakanda isn't officially set for any other stories in Phase 5 or later, the Black Panther legacy is sure to continue in future stories, especially once one of the country's leaders takes over the mantle from the late T'Challa in this movie. There is also the mysterious Wakanda-centric Disney+ series being developed by Ryan Coogler to pay attention to, although that series remains mainly in the dark after the MCU's time at San Diego Comic-Con and the D23 Fan Expo.
On top of that, this story is sure to set up Riri Williams' path as she develops her Ironheart armor, which will be seen in next year's Ironheart and potentially later in Don Cheadle's new theatrical release, Armor Wars. Namor will also have this same progression as his Talokan finds itself developing further, setting the underwater hero up for an extended future in the MCU.
And that's not even mentioning a potential Doctor Doom tease, as he could end up being the big bad in Black Panther 2, although it remains to be seen if and when that mystery is solved.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will debut in theaters on Friday, November 11.
