As Marvel Studios continues deeper into the creation of phase four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), fans start to ponder the question of what it all means. In May of 2021,  at one of Marvel’s Comic Cons, as a tribute to Black history month, it was announced that in the fall of 2022,  Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would be released in the movie theaters, but before it does, fans need to answer a question, do we know what this movie means?

The film opens  with  actor Letitia Wright, who plays the character Shuri, in a white African dress holding the helmet that belonged to the Black Panther. The original Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, passed away in 2020 from colon cancer. When the movie was announced in 2021, it would not only be a tribute to Black history month, but a tribute to Boseman as well. Fans can infer during the trailer that this is a loving tribute to Boseman.   

While this movie can be portrayed  as a beautiful tribute to Boseman, it also can be viewed  as a new beginning to a  new history. Ethan Anderton who is the film writer for the movie Wakanda Forever has said, “This is a battle cry for Wakanda.” In the Avengers movie series  Endgame, which ended all movies in phase three, the movie left all the remaining characters in the MCU to pick up the pieces of the universe.

The trailer for the movie presents a new conflict for the Wakandans. Namor, who Tencoh Huerta plays, is the king of an underwater civilization. “His people do not call him general or king they call him Kukulkan, The feathered serpent god,” M’baku said, played by Winston Duke. This gives a bit of insight into what the Wakandan’s are up against in this upcoming film. Will this new conflict mean new alliances for the Wakandan’s? Maybe Wakanda will finally start to put their kingdom back together.  

What fans have been dying to know about the movie is who will be the new Black Panther? At the end of the trailer, the Black Panther appears on the screen, but as a feminine figure.. Fans all know that it’s not Boseman under that mask. So the question is, who’s under the mask? On all the movie posters, and ads for the movie, the one actor who is first up, or in the center of the poster is Wright. As many MCU fans know, Shuri was the youngest of the Wakandan royal family so if anything were to happen to T’challa, Shuri would be the next in line.

So does that mean she’s the next Black Panther? Well, according to Marvel Studios EVP Victoria Alsonso,

“There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s not with us.” Marvel Studios has also stated that there will be no actor who is going to play the Black Panther out of respect for Boseman. However, fans still want to know at the end of the trailer who’s in the mask.  Well, fans will just have to wait till  November 11th, 2022 for the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!