A new look at a deleted emotional scene from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been released by Marvel Studios.
One of the biggest reveals in Wakanda Forever was in the post-credits stinger, which showed Shuri being introduced to T’Challa’s son, Toussaint.
Unknown to audiences, Nakia and T’Challa had a child off-screen. Instead of growing up in Wakanda, he instead stayed with his mother in Haiti to grow up away from the throne.
And this emotional scene with Shuri was all fans ultimately got in the MCU blockbuster.
First Look at an Emotional Deleted Scene
Thanks to the release of Assembled: The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fans have their first look at an emotional scene featuring Divine Love Konadu-Suin's Toussaint, aka T'Challa's son.
In a previous interview with Rolling Stone, Wakanda Forever's writer, Joe Robert Cole, revealed how there was once a scene that featured a moment Angela Basset's Queen Ramonda crosses paths with little T'Challa.
Cole talked about how they played around with introducing Toussaint earlier in the film, in a scene where "Ramonda goes to Haiti:"
"... There was a point where I think when Ramonda [Angela Bassett] goes to Haiti, we had talked about potentially having him be revealed there. So we knew we wanted him to be a part of the movie in some way, and landed, I think, on the best possible version."
These images, including the behind-the-scenes glimpse below, show Ramonda arriving in Haiti to meet Nakia—where, presumably, she's surprised by Toussaint's existence, much like Shuri was at the end of the film.
If the scene was kept, it would have no doubt been emotional, especially given Basset's awards-worthy performance throughout the rest of the movie.
Was It a Good Idea To Cut Little T’Challa’s Screentime?
As great as having that scene with Queen Ramonda might have been, with the context of Wakanda Forever’s final cut in mind, it definitely would have felt strange, both pacing-wise and in relation to the plot unfolding at the time.
The end worked much better for multiple reasons.
For one, the emotional moment was given the spotlight—there was nothing else to worry about, no ticking timer. Just Shuri, Nakia, and little T’Challa on the beach.
It also, thematically, came at a fantastic point for Letitia Wright’s Shuri, as she finally began to process and grieve in a healthy way. This put the character in a much better headspace when meeting her nephew.
The real question is, when might T’Challa’s son show up next? Given his age, it could be awhile—though, if a third Black Panther movie does happen, that would be the most natural place.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now streaming on Disney+.
