Considering how mildly the Marvel movies have treated death over the years—it’s a franchise that killed off then resurrected half of its cast—there’s something powerful about the way Black Panther works: Wakanda Forever directly tackles the problems of pain and mortality. (‘Wakanda Forever’ Says Goodbye To T’Challa And Chadwick Boseman)
In the first scene, we learn that T’Challa, the ruler of the African state of Wakanda, has died of a mysterious illness. It’s devastating news, but not a shock to those of us out there: We knew it was coming, ever since it was announced, shortly after the death of Chadwick Boseman, that T’Challa, Black Panther will also be laid to rest. (‘Wakanda Forever’ Says Goodbye To T’Challa And Chadwick Boseman)
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And hence, Wakanda Forever is both an entertainer and a show, merging on-screen and off-screen tragedies. It’s a dynamic and sometimes overwhelming effort, but I came away admiring director Ryan Coogler’s decision to accept the reality of the loss and honor Boseman’s memory with the utmost respect. After all, what made the first Black Panther movie so great was its commitment to the real world. Google may have given us a wonderful utopian vision of Wakanda, an isolated, technologically advanced nation that had never been conquered. But it also delved into tough questions about African and African-American identities and brought Wakanda into conversation with a wider fight for racial justice. As the new film opens, Wakanda is dealing with the repercussions of her recent decision to join the international community. (‘Wakanda Forever’ Says Goodbye To T’Challa And Chadwick Boseman) Still reeling from T’Challa’s death, the kingdom has come under attack from other nations, lusting for a supply of the almighty metal known as vibranium.
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But the biggest threat comes from elsewhere: a secret Atlantis-like underwater city called Talokan, powered by Vibranium. The skin of the Talokan people and the gills of fish may be blue, but they are actually the descendants of an ancient Mayan civilization that was invaded thousands of years ago, forcing them to seek refuge in the sea. Namor, the bronze-breasted leader of the Talokan, seeks to join forces with Wakanda against potential vibranium raiders and threatens war if they do not agree. (‘Wakanda Forever’ Says Goodbye To T’Challa And Chadwick Boseman) Coogler and his co-writer, Joe Robert Cole, cleverly elaborate the story’s cultural landscape, delving into the history of ancient Mesoamerican communities and bringing together characters of Black, Latin American, and Native American descent.
Plus, they bring back many of the characters that made the first film so memorable. Letitia Wright returns as T’Challa’s brilliant scientist sister Shuri, and it’s good to see Winston Duke again as the boisterous tribal elder Ma’baku. I wish Danai Gurira, in the form of the formidable warrior Okoye, wasn’t mysteriously edged in the middle. I also wish the great Lupita Nyong’o had more to do as the skilled detective Nakiya, who returns from self-imposed exile to help Wakanda through this latest crisis.
There are also some new faces in the mix, including Michaela Coel as a Wakandan warrior from the HBO series I May Destroy You, and Dominic Thorne as the 19-year-old techie who is settling here for a Disney future of his own. -Marvel TV show, Ironheart. It’s a reminder that, at the end of the day, the film is still just one piece in Marvel’s never-ending, overarching narrative.
Coogler is an excellent and sensitive director, but even he can’t top some of the series’ more formulaic pacing: As always with these movies, the action sequences are vague and hard to follow. A parallel CIA-related subplot falls tediously flat. This raises a sacred and perhaps absurd question: why did Wakanda Forever have to make a superhero movie? What if, instead of resorting to typical comic book tropes, they introduced their characters more fully and allowed their story of pain, loss, and redemption to unfold more naturally? (‘Wakanda Forever’ Says Goodbye To T’Challa And Chadwick Boseman)
But for better or worse, this is a superhero movie. And inevitably, someone new, I won’t say who dons T’Challa’s catsuit, becomes the new Black Panther, and saves the day. It’s a somewhat hollow result, and it reminds you how monotonous and routine Marvel’s story has become. I was impressed by the beauty and sincerity of this film’s separation from T’Challa and the great actor who played her. But I also wish Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had found a more imaginative way to lead us.
