Ryan Coogler, writer and director of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has addressed a lingering fan narrative about the sequel—and he says the facts tell a very different story.
Wakanda Forever, currently available on Disney+, explores themes of loss and grief after the tragic death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman in 2020. The film, which stars Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, and Dominique Thorne, has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, a significant drop from the 96% posted by Black Panther in 2018.
Often viewed as Coogler’s most polarizing film, the Marvel sequel remains an outlier when compared to the Rotten Tomatoes scores of the auteur’s other films, including the critically acclaimed Sinners (97%), Creed (95%), and Fruitvale Station (94%). However, despite those and similar critical scores, the Black Panther director says the idea that Wakanda Forever was unsuccessful is an inaccurate internet narrative.
Ryan Coogler Addresses Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Backlash
During a recent appearance on The New Blerd Order podcast, Coogler pushed back on what he described as a “not factual” backlash to Wakanda Forever's viewership performance, specifically taking issue with the narrative that the film underperformed or failed to resonate with fans compared to the first Black Panther movie:
"That backlash is usually not factual. If you check internet narratives…Wakanda Forever is streamed consistently more than the first Black Panther. Consistently, at a factor of almost two-to-one. I know this because I see the data. If you were to hop on the internet, you would think it was the opposite, according to the backlash. A lot of times, that narrative is so distant from what’s actually real. So for me, the biggest thing on there… is just perspective. Perspective of what to listen to and what not to. What should be valued, what shouldn’t be, and what’s expected."
Released in November 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced an intense set of expectations and setbacks—including a serious injury to Wright—following the unprecedented success of the first film in 2018 and Boseman’s unexpected passing two years later. Despite this, the sequel performed strongly at the box office, earning over $436 million domestically and $850 million internationally, making it the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 2022 and the year’s sixth-highest-grossing film globally.
But Coogler’s comments shed light on a different metric—streaming—that paints an even more surprising, but more well-rounded, picture. According to the director, Wakanda Forever has been watched nearly twice as often as the original Black Panther on Disney+. While specific data hasn’t been made publicly available by the streaming platform, Coogler’s insider access as the film’s director gives credibility to the claim.
This revelation directly challenges an ongoing narrative in online fandom spaces that the sequel didn’t resonate with fans or failed to capture the cultural significance of its predecessor.
Separating Narrative from Reality
Coogler’s comments also tap into a broader conversation about perception versus performance. In today’s digital ecosystem, strong opinions, especially negative ones, have a tendency to dominate the discourse around films and television shows, even when those views don’t reflect the behavior of general audiences.
Fan communities on platforms like Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube often serve as echo chambers that amplify niche complaints and grievances. Much of the criticism aimed at Wakanda Forever online centered around its longer runtime, what some felt was the shoehorned inclusion of the character Riri Williams (Thorne), and the absence of T’Challa, with some viewers calling the film a step down from the first. But as Coogler pointed out, those critiques don't line up with how widely the film continues to be watched.
This kind of disconnect isn’t unique to Black Panther. Several recent MCU projects, including The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World, and even Coogler’s Disney+ series Ironheart, have faced similar disconnects between fan chatter and actual performance data, whether it be box office numbers or Disney+ viewership.
A Reminder for Creatives and Fans Alike
For filmmakers and actors involved in major franchises, the divide between internet noise and actual audience engagement can be difficult to navigate. Coogler’s comments serve as a reminder, and perhaps even a warning, not to place too much stock in the loudest voices online.
That message resonates not just for creatives but also for fans who want to engage with these stories without being swept up in polarized and often vitriolic discourse. The numbers, in this case, suggest Wakanda Forever has had a longer tail and deeper reach than many have assumed.
So, while online narratives may paint one version of reality, Ryan Coogler’s message is clear: if you’re seeking the truth, look at the facts instead of the drama.
