Avengers: Infinity War ended as tragically as it possibly could. Thanos wiped out half of the universe with a snap of his fingers and a number of prominent heroes were reduced to dust before our very eyes – Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord…they were all gone. And while we expect most of them to be back in the land of the living in time for May’s Avengers 4, if for some reason they don’t return, it could tee up a pretty exciting future for one person in particular.
Namely, Letitia Wright’s Shuri, T’Challa’s genius little sister who’s become a firm fan favorite. The Wakandan princess really struck a chord with viewers in Black Panther and though she didn’t have a ton to do in Infinity War, the ending did hint at a cool new direction for her if T’Challa doesn’t return, as Shuri could very well become the new monarch of Wakanda and, by extension, the new Black Panther.
Of course, there’s precedent for this in the source material, too, so it’s not that crazy to think it could happen. Especially since it’s now been confirmed that Wright will indeed be back to reprise the role. Not just in Avengers 4, but in Black Panther 2 as well. The news comes via Deadline, who’ve confirmed her return in both films, and while details on how she’ll factor into the future of the MCU remain unclear, it’s obvious that Marvel has more in store for her.
After all, it’s since been confirmed that Shuri survived the devastating events of Infinity War, which leads us to believe that she’ll feature quite prominently when Avengers 4 steamrolls into theaters next year, before going on to have an even bigger role in T’Challa’s second standalone outing. But whatever the future may hold for this fan favorite character, if one thing’s for certain, it’s that more Shuri can only be a good thing.