Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently on filming location at the MIT campus in Cambridge. Danai Gurira’s Okoye and Letitia Wright’s Shuri seem to be there to meet Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams/Ironheart. Why they need her help remains a mystery, but as Shuri and Riri are both tech geniuses, they’ll have a lot in common.
When the first images were revealed earlier this week, the actors were pictured in hooded black cloaks. These are used when the studio wants to keep a characters’ clothes hidden from long-lens photographers and curious members of the public. This secrecy sparked excitement that Shuri could already be in a Black Panther outfit.
But this isn’t the case. Despite the precautions, we now have pictures of the pair in costume, and they’re in stylish civilian outfits. Okoye is wearing what appears to be a red catsuit under a black blazer (the Dora Milaje colors) and Shuri is in violet sportswear. Sadly, there’s no sign of Riri, but as she’s a college student, I wouldn’t expect her to be stomping around in an armored suit.
Many are expecting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to show Shuri taking up the mantle of Black Panther after the death of her brother. This was teased in the first movie, has happened in the comics, and makes sense given that we know she has combat skills of her own. Even so, her journey to that point is likely to be a difficult one, as living up to T’Challa is an almost impossible proposition.
With the location shoots ongoing, I hope we see further images that settle some of these lingering questions. I’d also love to see more of Riri Williams, who will be the lead of the Disney Plus show Ironheart, which may air in late 2022.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on July 8, 2022.