The latest intel points to Shuri inheriting her brother’s mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — and, though it’s what we all expected, MCU fans are fuming about this on social media. Following the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman last year, Marvel Studios elected to retool the sequel around the film’s supporting cast, with it heavily rumored that Letitia Wright’s genius Wakandan princess would become the next Black Panther.
Folks might’ve been OK with this turn of events, but since then Wright has severely damaged her reputation with her vocal anti-vaccine views. In fact, it’s been reported that the actress has been espousing her viewpoints on set of Wakanda Forever, though this is something she’s denied. So that hasn’t exactly helped people warm up to the idea of her superhero promotion, to put it mildly.
Some are already seeing Namor as the hero…
Besides that, many don’t feel that Shuri is the right person to take over from T’Challa from a story and character standpoint. In fact, a lot of Twitter users are voicing their opinion that Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia should be the new Black Panther instead.
On the other hand, a once-controversial idea seems to be gaining more traction online: some want Marvel to recast Boseman and continue on with the character of T’Challa.
Alternatively, others want Shuri to be recast entirely.
This intel, and the outrage surrounding it, comes at a time when production on Wakanda Forever has been put on hold due to an injury Letitia Wright received back in August. Director Ryan Coogler had been shooting as much as possible around her absence ever since but he’s now been forced to shut up shop until the actress has fully recovered. It’s probably a good thing that Marvel recently pushed its release date back to November 2022.
Do you want to see Shuri as the franchise’s new lead in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Sound off in the comments.