Editor’s note: I’m about to drop a s***load of spoilers so if you haven’t watched Black Panther:Wakanda Forever, please report to the TVA and let them wipe your mind. Enkosi!
Four years after the original – but six years later in the MCU because of Thanos’s Snap- the mighty and humble people of Wakanda have returned in Black Panther:Wakanda Forever. Without their King T’Challa and his extraordinary actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed away two years ago.
For anyone worried that Boseman’s absence means a lackluster sequel – be rest assured that it doesn’t. Director and writer Ryan Coogler understood that the only way to tell the next part of this story was through the eyes and voices of the strong, black women in T’Challa’s life.
Wakanda Forever‘s incredible all female leads are breathtaking in this film. We have the always fabulous Angela Bassett returning as the reigning Queen Ramonda; Danai Gurira as Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje, the Queen’s Guard; Lupita Nyong’o as Wakanda’s former super spy and T’Challa’s ex Nakia; and of course, Letitia Wright as Crown Princess Shuri and Wakanda’s top tech guru. An exciting new addition to both the cast and the MCU is Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams and her alter ego Ironheart. Yes, she will fulfill the fallen Iron Man’s role in the New Avengers and she is brilliant.
There are many ways Coogler could have gone with the script for this long-awaited sequel: he could have gone a Spider Man: Far From Home route where Wakanda and the world is falling apart without Black Panther or followed Loki’s lead and have a multiverse/variant of another gender/race come to take the throne and mantle in the main universe. Instead, and for this I must applaud him, he takes us on a journey with these women as they navigate grief, trying to be respected as female rulers on the world stage and go to war with another vibranium based nation, the Talokan.
The fact that these women deal with their anger and grief in such differing ways makes for a compelling viewing experience. I adored how Ramonda is restrained but no less powerful when she gives the United Nations a tongue-lashing of note for sending mercenaries to steal vibranium at one of Wakanda’s outposts. I sympathized with Okoye for her hurt and rage at being stripped of her post when she loses Shuri and Riri to the Talokan. I understood Nakia’s reluctance to return home where T’Challa is not and having to face her people on her own. And dear gods, did I totally get Shuri’s core need to burn EVERYTHING to the ground because despite her best efforts, she could not recreate the purple heart herb in her lab in time to save her brother.
Yes, Shuri eventually becomes the new Black Panther but her journey there isn’t as straight forward as inheriting the mantle and slipping into a new costume. She and the women in her life are mad, angry and loud about it. And it is this message that really resonated with me. As women of colour, society does not allow us to be mad, black and loud. Oh no, we need to keep our frustrations to ourselves and lower our voices lest we be considered to be uncouth, rude, undignified and crazy.
“Hush”, says Society to the black woman, “don’t make a scene and don’t make your issues our issues. Be thankful you are being allowed to even breathe. The rest of us have things to do.”
Wakanda Forever says “F*** that!” It lets its cast roar about their feelings, their anger, their shame, their wounds and gives them the platform to be heard. I wasn’t a fan of the first film because while yes, it was incredible to see Africa represented somewhat in the MCU, it was still just another tale about a man getting kudos for fulfilling his birthright. Hate me all you want for that statement, but it’s true.
By contrast, I was crying out “Wakanda Forever!” right alongside Shuri and her countrymen by the climax of the movie – where she had brokered peace with the sly king Namor (Tenoch Huerta MejΓa)- because I deeply felt that sense of triumph, power and sisterhood with the heroines onscreen.
For the first time this year, Disney and Marvel get the female, and especially the female of colour, perspective right. They have already made great strides with Ms.Marvel where Iman Vellani makes her Muslim superhero Kamala a relatable lead trying to balance culture, race, school, life and vigilantism. Wakanda Forever is a triumph because Coogler takes the time to understand women but it is really is the female cast who rock this movie. THIS is what that cringeworthy girl power scene should have been like in Avengers:Endgame.
But what about T’Challa and Boseman, I hear you ask? Don’t worry – there are plenty of homages to the fallen King as well as a not-so-surprise secret child (don’t be a heretic and leave the theatre before the end credits to see this! ) to honor him.
And don’t forget to pack in your tissues. Shuri’s final acceptance of her brother’s death had me sobbing. I watched this film on the second anniversary of the last time I saw my fallen friend, role model and birthday twin Yolisa Qunta. Yolisa LOVED Black Panther. To watch this movie in her honor and see my grief portrayed accurately on screen was a priceless gift.
As for the bigger MCU Phase 5 flesh out, there are plenty of scenes with Agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and his villainous ex-wife Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus ) to move the overall plot forward. Did you guys know they used to be married? I didn’t!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is playing at a cinema near you. I’d suggest watching it at Ster Kinekor’s IMAX theatre for a fully immersive experience.
