Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brings a close to Phase 5 of the MCU, but it’s also the catalyst for some major future spinoffs.
In the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda is trying to move forward after T’Challa’s death. Now that the country has revealed itself, other nations want Wakanda to share its Vibranium, the useful metallic ore that can be used for an assortment of weapons and power sources. Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is trying to keep her home strong and cope with the loss of her son and the grief of her daughter, Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). The undersea kingdom of Talokan wants vengeance against the scientist responsible for the Vibranium detector — Riri Williams played by Dominique Thorne — that led to the CIA breaching Talokan’s territory.
Many characters appeared in this movie, and their inclusion points to even more stories down the MCU pipeline.
Ironheart
The Ironheart Disney Plus series is one of the more obvious projects spinning out of Wakanda Forever. It’s already been confirmed that Riri Williams would be getting a show of her own show that will continue her story from the movie. After the battle against Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and the Talokans, she had to leave behind her Mark I suit to avoid any more trouble with the CIA, but never worry, she will be rocking the Mark II suit in the show.
Shuri fixes Riri’s father’s car after it had been destroyed during the car chase in Massachusetts as a way of saying thank you, so expect to see its’ return. The series will explore the genius inventor’s life as a Black, young woman in a world full of superheroes, and Anthony Ramos will play the Hood, who’s a master criminal with mystical powers.
Secret Invasion
In Wakanda Forever, Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) shows his loyalty to the kingdom of Wakanda and informs them about the CIA’s internal affairs using Shuri’s Kimoyo beads. CIA director (and Ross’ ex-wife) Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) had the beads bugged and arrested him for revealing confidential information. Okoye (Danai Gurira) in the new Midnight Angels suit (which she wasn’t too fond of in the beginning) stops the vehicle transporting the “colonizer” and saves him.
Ross will next be seen in the Disney Plus miniseries Secret Invasion that’s been described as a dark departure from the rest of the MCU. The Skrulls have been hiding amongst humanity for years now and have infiltrated various levels of society. Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role of Nick Fury, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and he’s been working with these aliens in deep space. In the trailer, Ross is seen in the trailer sticking close to a building very spy-like, and he’ll be a loyal and useful asset considering how much intel he has.
Thunderbolts
Ever since Valentina appeared in the post-credits scene in Black Widow, she’s been planning something big. She gets Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) to attempt an assassination against Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), which takes place in Hawkeye, and she appears in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to enlist John Walker/U.S. Agent (John Walker) for a special assignment. She’s up to her old trick in Wakanda Forever, manipulating Ross into thinking he had control over the Wakanda situation, but she proved how ruthless she can be to get what she wants.
Thunderbolts will have a team of rogues and villains, including Yelena, U.S. Agent, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and will be under the control of Valentina. She has a vested interest in Wakanda and it’s possible she could use the Thunderbolts as a way to get to its Vibranium. With Bucky on the team, he could be used as a Trojan horse to gain access and help herself to the country’s valuable resource. We don’t put anything past Valentina.
Namor and Agents of Atlas
Namor made a big splash in Wakanda Forever, and after he yields to Shuri he states that Talokan is now united with Wakanda. He sees this as a victory because the country and Black Panther can be useful to them in the future, and he’s always putting the needs of his kingdom first. There could be a situation where Wakanda will need Talokan’s help, like the aforementioned potential invasion by the Thunderbolts and the CIA. Even though he lost, he’s still in a position of power and he could easily helm a standalone movie as the great anti-hero he is. Perhaps it could take place later down the line and show some important shift in his character.
An Agents of Atlas TV series would be a perfect fit for Namora. The Atlas Foundation is an ancient and secret society that once sought to control the world, but they changed their motivations and worked to help the world instead. Those in its ranks derive from the Mongol Empire and use magic and science to accomplish its goals. Namora has been a part of this group and Cadena is already on board for an Agent of Atlas series, so perhaps it could actually happen.
Fantastic Four
It’s impossible not to think of Namor in live-action without thinking of the Fantastic Four. A multiverse version of Reed Richards played by John Krasinski appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and now it’s time to bring the team in officially. Namor and the Fantastic Four have a long history and Wakanda Forever could pave the way for their eventual meetup.
The movie isn’t coming out until Marvel Phase 6, but with Namor’s origin having been established, it’ll be that much easier o bring Namor into the fold without having to explain too much. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that Fantastic Four won’t be an origin story, since so many people already know it, and there’s so much potential for a Namor storyline. In the comics, Namor has a longstanding rivalry with the team and he’s known for his infatuation with Sue Storm. This dynamic makes for some interesting stories and it would be satisfying to guess which version of Namor we’d get. He’s an anti-hero, but he’s not all bad.