With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to hit theaters on Nov. 11, we’re breaking down the film’s characters to recap where they were when we last saw them, figure out what they’ll be up to in the new movie and introduce the franchise’s new heroes and villains.
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Per the official description: “Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. When Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, alerts them to a global threat and his disturbing plan to thwart it, the Wakandans band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.”
Ramonda
In the aftermath of her son’s death, Ramonda steps up to lead her people through their grief. However, she must also remind the world that just because T’Challa is gone, it doesn’t mean Wakanda is weak. As a Queen, mother and diplomat, she must be all things to all people, while also navigating her own grief and loss. If there’s one person who can get us through this emotional transition, it’s Angela Bassett.
Shuri
Princess Shuri is next in line for the throne, but it’s always been clear she has no interest in ruling. She deals with her emotions by throwing herself into her work, creating new tech to both help and protect her people. All signs point to her as the new Black Panther, but it feels like Marvel is being too open with that reveal, which means there’s definitely more to the story.
Okoye
The loss of King T’Challa means the eyes of the world are on Wakanda, and most of them are looking for ways to attack the seemingly weakened country. The Dora Milaje will be essential to protecting everyone, making General Okoye’s role more important than it’s ever been. She took on more leadership duties during the Blip, so her perspective on the rest of the world may have changed since we last saw her in Avengers: Endgame.
Nakia
Nakia has always been devoted to using Wakanda’s resources to help others, something she convinced T’Challa to explore before Thanos ruined everything. As we saw in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the Blip led to drastic changes in many countries, so has all this upheaval made her become even more charitable, or will her heartbreak over T’Challa’s death lead her down a different path?
M’Baku
Like Okoye, M’Baku helped lead Wakanda through the Blip, giving him more power and responsibility. Will he see T’Challa’s absence as the perfect time to finally take over, or will he continue to work with Ramonda to protect Wakanda? I really hope we get a chance to learn more about the Jabari and M’Baku, because his character is sorely lacking a backstory and personal life.
Ayo
Ayo was the first member of the Dora Milaje we met in Captain America: Civil War, so it’s nice to know she may get more to do this time around. The introduction of Michaela Coel’s Aneka could offer an insight into her place within the Dora and her private life. Perhaps we’ll also find out if she’s talked to Bucky since he went rogue with Baron Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
Everett Ross
When we last saw Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross, he was supporting T’Challa as he opened up Wakanda to the world. We don’t know what he’s been up to since then, but with the entire universe in chaos, he’s probably been very busy. We don’t even know if he was “blipped” by Thanos. As Wakanda navigates this difficult time, he may be one of the few outsiders Ramonda and her allies trust. Of course, as a spy, we always have to question where his loyalties lie.
Riri
Dominique Thorne is Riri Williams, the scientific genius who becomes the hero Ironheart. The teenager forms a friendship with Shuri when they bond over being the smartest people in the room. It will be interesting to see how they navigate their different backgrounds and approaches to inventing new tech. This is our introduction to Riri before she heads off for her own adventures in the Disney+ series Ironheart.
Aneka
Michaela Coel is Aneka, a Dora Milaje captain and combat instructor, who Ryan Coogler describes as “kind of a rebel.” For the British-Ghanian actress, representing Aneka as an openly queer African woman was what drew her to the character. “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer. I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana,” Coel told Vogue.
Namor
Tenoch Huerta is Namor, the ruler of a powerful underwater kingdom, set to make its MCU debut in Wakanda Forever. He’s a mutant with ankle wings, which give him the ability to fly. He’s not happy about T’Challa revealing Wakanda’s secrets, leading him to challenge his surface neighbors. While trailers are presenting him as the possible villain of the movie, in the comics he tends to be more of an anti-hero, who alternates between fighting with and against the good guys. I expect the film version to have problems with the surface world, but I don’t think he’ll actually be the villain.
Namora
Mabel Cadena is Namora, Namor’s cousin and close ally. She spends a lot of time on the surface helping people and catching bad guys. Honestly, we don’t know what adaptation of the character will appear in the movie, but I’m guessing we’ll get her mysterious kingdom’s version of Nakia or Okoye.
Attuma
Alex Livinalli is Attuma, a powerful warrior who repeatedly tries to conquer the underwater kingdom, but is defeated by Namor. Since the character hasn’t been central to the film’s marketing, it feels like Attuma might be the real villain. This could be the person who’s actually manipulating the conflict between Talokan and Wakanda.
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