Marvel finally gave fans a first glimpse at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as they unveiled the trailer for the long-awaited sequel at last weekend’s San Diego Comic Con event.
The first Black Panther movie made over $1.3 billion upon release in 2018 and even scooped a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, so Disney no doubt hope to make the sequel equally successful upon its release on November 11.
Here’s five key moments of the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer.
The villain is a bit fishy
Marvel fanatics have long hoped for the onscreen arrival of Namor, the King of Atlantis and long-time rival of Black Panther and the rest of Wakanda.
In the comics, he’s an old ally of Captain America during World War II, but often serves more of an anti-hero role and puts the safety of his underwater kingdom ahead of the surface world, leading to numerous battles with the Avengers.
Atlantis and Wakanda often battle over vibranium – the unique material used by Wakanda to power their kingdom. The trailer sees Namor and his forces launch an attack on the shores of Wakanda – poor timing for the nation presumably mourning the loss of King T’Challa.
Namor’s arrival has been foreshadowed ever since a passing reference in Avengers: Endgame, where Okoye refers to underwater earthquakes off the coast of Africa. Many fans took this as a reference to rising tensions between Wakanda and the MCU’s as-yet-unseen version of Atlantis.
Viewers would be forgiven for drawing aquatic parallels with the new Avatar sequel – not to mention the return of Aquaman. Both movies are in cinemas just weeks after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever lands, and promise to keep marine biologists
Look out for two key new MCU characters
The trailer gives fans a first glimpse of British actress Michaela Coel’s character, Aneka. In the comics, she is the combat instructor of the Dora Milaje, the all-female warriors of Wakanda.
The trailer also features the debut of Riri Williams (Dominque Thorne), otherwise known as Ironheart. She’s a teenage genius who was mentored by Tony Stark and owns a suit of armour similar to the one used by Iron Man.
We see Shuri greeting her in the Wakanda technology lab, which suggests that the Wakandan heiress will replace Stark as Ironheart’s mentor. The trailer also offers a brief glimpse of Riri forging her armour, punching a heart shape from a sheet of iron.
Following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne will reprise the role in a solo Ironheart spin-off series, coming to Disney+ in late 2023.
While a rumoured Young Avengers movie is yet to be confirmed, expect Ironheart to be a part of the lineup when it does inevitably hit screens in the future.
Will the CIA be the real villains?
Martin Freeman is reprising his role of CIA operative Everett Ross, after previously appearing in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and the first Black Panther movie.
Despite telling Collider that his character remains a ‘good guy’ in the sequel, we’re betting the CIA man has a hand in orchestrating the conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis.
Look out for an epitaph to Chadwick Boseman
While the trailer doesn’t explain who the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman will impact King T’Challa’s storyline, it does showcase a Wakandan mural – a memorial much like those for Tony Stark following Avengers: Endgame.
‘Chad’s passion and genius and his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever. We put our love for Chadwick into this film,’ said director Ryan Coogler at the San Diego Comic-Con.
A new Black Panther is teased...
The final shot of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has surely dominated social media chatter in the past few days.
A rear shot of the Black Panther costume has fans guessing who will be wearing the suit and taking up the mantle following the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman.
The smart bet? Look to the comics and there’s often scenarios where T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri takes on the Black Panther title, though some fans argue the gold streaks in the costume suggest Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) could make a return from the afterlife for a redemption arc.
It’s official: Daniel Kaluuya is not returning for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
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