To end cap the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast took the stage to premiere the first trailer. Emotions were high as this was the first Black Panther footage publicly released since Chadwick Boseman's tragic death in 2020.
The use of Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" was particularly fitting, reaffirming to the cast, crew, and fans that "We gon' be alright."
After Boseman's passing, many questioned how Marvel would proceed with the Black Panther franchise without him, or if it would continue at all. However, as time passed, it was confirmed that Marvel and director Ryan Coogler would continue the story they began in 2018.
The film will introduce the first major underwater element to the MCU as Tenoch Huerta's Namor enters the fold. It will also directly build upon the development of Wakanda, since it was introduced in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
Six years after his introduction to the MCU, T'Challa's fate has now been confirmed and another hidden detail from the first trailer has been revealed.
T'Challa's Helmet Spotted in Black Panther 2
While most viewers were distracted by a unique variant of the Marvel Studios logo during Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's premiere trailer, a critical moment may have been missed.
Dressed in all white, T'Challa's mother Romanda (Angela Bassett) is walking alongside Shuri (Letitia Wright), who is holding the iconic Black Panther helmet, as first pointed out by Twitter user ShadyK54.
This is further confirmation that T'Challa has died since the events of Avengers: Endgame, indicating that this scene is a funeral or memorial for the fallen hero.
Here's a closer look at the detailed Wakandan helmet, which appears to be the version from Captain America: Civil War rather than the updated mask seen in subsequent films.
Celebrating T'Challa's Life
Ryan Coogler and the creative team at Marvel Studios have decided not to recast T'Challa after Chadwick Boseman's passing. Instead, Wakanda Forever will partly be about the loss of T'Challa, honoring his life, and passing on the Black Panther mantle.
It still remains unclear how the film will canonically explain how T'Challa died after Avengers: Endgame, but it's no secret this is the direction it is going.
The first trailer faced it head-on, showing a mural of Boseman as T'Challa, up-close images of Shuri welling with tears, and Ramonda saying, "I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone."
This approach with likely be a huge element of the plot and will lead to other characters having to step up, like Letitia Wright's Shuri, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, or Winston Duke's M'Baku.
There may not be many dry eyes when Marvel fans fill theaters starting November 11 for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
