Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has finally arrived, and all the spoilers within are ready to be consumed.
However, before reading our rundown of Black Panther 2's biggest moments and reveals, for the best experience, it could be good to make sure one sees the movie in its entirety in theaters first. It’s truly an epic story and one that deserves to be experienced in the best way possible (and critics agree).
The Wakadan sequel is an emotional ride, one that also does plenty to add to the wider MCU world while also successfully being the perfect tribute to both Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa.
So, with that said, what big spoilers does this new trip to Wakanda have to offer?
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The Passing of T’Challa
When the news of Chadwick Boseman’s passing hit, the world was in mourning; it had just lost a legend. Months later, however, the world kept turning—so a big question needed to be answered: how would they address real-life circumstances in a fictional sequel?
In the final cut of the movie, King T’Challa does, in fact, pass away. It’s not done in a bombastic way; no CGI double, fight scene, or anything like that.
Instead, it happens off-screen and is the result of an unexplained illness. Despite the event not happening in front of the audience, the sequence is still devastating and will break down even the strongest of emotional barriers.
Namor is a Mutant… For Real
While Ms. Marvel’s Iman Vellani may have had a blast getting to say “mutation” on screen, Tenoch Huerta was able to one-up her: he’s a mutant. The word is spoken clear as day, making it a historic moment for the MCU.
However, when it comes to the details, those aren’t provided. The only explanation given regarding how Namor came to be is how his people also ate a special herb that gave them their abilities.
But Namor has more than a few other unique aspects, such as the wings on his feet, something the movie avoids explaining too much.
Past his X-Gene, the film also establishes how Namor takes his people’s secrecy very seriously—he’ll kill to keep it hidden. That begs the question, who’ll be the first new character to crossover with him next? Because it might not be a friendly moment.
It’s also revealed that both him and his people are hundreds and hundreds of years old.
Agent Ross’ Troublesome Ex-Wife
In a move almost nobody could have seen coming, it’s revealed that Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross was once married to none other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val—yes, the shady government lady who was first seen on screen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Val didn’t have much to do with the plot here, but she was responsible for reporting Ross’ involvement with the Wakandans, leading to his arrest.
For those hoping for a bigger role from her, sadly, this isn’t the place. Though this isn’t to any detriment; her involvement in the story is organic and makes perfect sense. In this particular story, Val didn’t need to be the focus.
Just having her as a small part of the story does plenty in building the foundation of her future in the MCU, namely that of 2024’s Thunderbolts.
Ironheart is Here… But She Can’t Keep the Suit
Wakanda Forever has the pleasure of introducing Dominque Thorne’s Riri Williams to the world, and she’s wonderful, to say the least.
Not much backstory is given to her character, but she plays a critical role in the plot: her genius has cracked the code for building a vibranium detector. This, naturally, puts her right into the crosshairs of several different parties.
It’s also revealed that one of the key aspects of Riri is how she’s dealing with the loss of her father. The two of them also used to bond over fixing cars, something she still does actively by the time Shuri and Okoye find her.
Of course, Riri is doing far more than just fixing up cars—she also makes her own Iron Man suits. While her Mark I is a little rocky, the Mark II she builds in Wakanda is sleek as hell and is made of Vibranium.
Sadly, by the end of the movie, she has to give the suit back to Shuri and Wakanda, leaving her to start back at the beginning when her Disney+ series, Ironheart, debuts next year.
Okoye, the Midnight Angel
Okoye gets put through the wringer in Wakanda Forever when she fails to defeat Attuma, and her princess, alongside Riri Williams, is kidnapped by Namor’s people.
Queen Ramonda doesn’t take too kindly to the news and proceeds to strip the general of her title, exiling her from the Dora Milaje. While it’s a crushing blow to Okoye, seeing as it was her everything, she isn’t down and out for long.
Both she and newcomer Aneka get fancy new Midnight Angel suits which even offer superhuman strength—a bonus that’ll definitely be deadly in combination with her natural combat skills.
By the end of the movie, she seems to be operating on her own, still sporting her new duds. It does seem like she could also basically be a strike team for Wakanda, having hypothetically been sent by Shuri to save Ross before the Black Panther went her own way.
The Loss of Queen Ramonda
T’Challa isn’t the only person who passes in the movie: Queen Ramonda’s life is taken by Namor when he floods Wakanda in retaliation for Nakia taking Shuri back and killing one of his people in the process.
While tragic, the Queen’s final actions did help save Riri Williams, a character who is set to go on and create an important and lasting legacy. Riri was given a second chance, and she’ll no doubt do the best she can with it.
Ramonda will live on in the hearts of all Wakandans and could likely even make future on-screen appearances in the Ancestral Plane. Fans will definitely miss her phenomenal performances; not seeing more of her talent is what hurts the most.
A Visit From Killmonger
Going into Wakanda Forever always presented the big Killmonger question: Would he show up?
After taking the heart-shaped herb, Shuri is sent to the Ancestral Plane. Instead of seeing her brother or mother, she is met by Killmonger.
Since she had taken the herb for vengeful reasons, it aligned her visit with the most vengeful soul to ever visit Wakanda. Thankfully, in the end, Shuri does not succumb to Killmonger's bad influence, and she makes the difficult but proper decision of sparing Namor's life.
Shuri is the Black Panther
While he initially fought the notion of taking over the mantle from her late brother, Shuri does eventually come around and accept that she’s meant to take over as the protector of Wakanda. This is made possible thanks to her genius-level intellect, which helps her finally solve the heart-shaped herb project.
Additionally, they plant more artificial heart-shaped herbs in the ground, so that more Black Panthers can be created in the future. This keeps the door open for Marvel Studios to change who holds the mantle if needed, and it could also open up the MCU to having more than one active protector.
As the movie ends, it seems that Shuri may be aiming to keep her distance from Wakanda for a while, even though she does still hold the mantle of Black Panther by the time the credits roll.
M’Baku is King
While Shuri may be Wakanda’s great protector, she made it clear that she had no desire to rule over its people; at least not now. Thankfully, she knows just the guy for the job.
The scene that establishes M’Baku’s new role is a little clunky and oddly presented, but it established one key fact: Winston Duke’s character is now king, something he’s wanted since he was first introduced in 2018’s Black Panther.
Despite being king, however, he does not have the power of Bast. The character hasn’t shown any signs of lusting specifically for the Black Panther’s power up until this point, so hopefully that doesn’t change.
Wakanda could use a little peace right now.
T’Challa’s Legacy Lives on
In what is easily one of the most emotional MCU mid-credits scenes to date, after Shuri burns her ceremonial clothes from T’Challa’s funeral, Nakia brings over a surprise: her son.
Turns out that right after the blip, she had King T’Challa’s child. The two also had enough time (before Thanos’ big snap) to decide it best for him to grow up outside of Wakanda, away from the pressures of the throne.
To make the scene hit harder, it’s revealed that he shares his father’s name. T’Challa’s legacy lives on, and one day, he could be kind like his dad once was.
What Comes Next?
So, with all of those spoilers noted, what could come next for this cast of characters?
Well, Wakanda is undoubtedly on a collision course with Doctor Doom and the nation of Latveria. In fact, fans shouldn’t be surprised if Shuri and M’Baku need to make use of their alliance with Namor to even the odds in that hypothetical conflict.
Then there’s T’Challa. Maybe in a few years’ time, he’ll be able to join the Young Avengers, provided they exist at that point.
As for now, Shuri seems to be keeping the mantle of Black Panther. Though, Marvel probably purposefully planted those new heart-shaped herbs in order to give them flexibility going forward.
Given Val’s involvement in Wakanda Forever, those storylines could carry over to the Thunderbolts. Maybe the team will even be pitted against Namor or Wakanda as a whole.
On a creative level, the future is bright for Wakanda and the many characters who make up their stories.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters worldwide.
