After the release of the secondBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevertrailer, it’s all but confirmed that Shuri will succeed King T’Challa by wearing the mysterious black and gold armor, which might explain the extra physical demands actor Letitia Wright endured filming the sequel.
The upcoming Marvel Studios blockbuster had suffered some setbacks in November of last year when Wright was injured andshooting forBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverhalted, for just under 2 months, and now she’s gone on to explain the severity of the incident that kept her off set for so long. That unfortunate event also coincided with reported controversies stemming from Wright’s COVID vaccination status, though ultimately none of that derailed theBlack Panthersequel from hitting its late 2022 premiere target.
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In a recent interview withEntertainment Weekly, Wright touched upon the matter, describing the shoulder fracture and concussion that briefly hospitalized her. She described the incident as “a moment for me to gain courage that I never had before and I didn’t know I had,” although she became worried that she wouldn’t be able to perform at the same fitness level as before. Nevertheless, Wright claimsdirector Ryan Cooglerwas incredibly supportive during her recovery period, and she was able to come back stronger to do any stunts prepared for her.
Both trailers forBlack Panther:Wakanda Foreverdidn’t show that many actions scenes, or at least they were shots mostly focusing on the Dora Milaje, Namor, and Talocan forces, as well as Riri Williams. Still, fans could notice that Wright’s physique seems to have changed quite a bit. However, Wright did not confirm or deny speculation overwhose face lies beneath the Black Panther masknow, instead referring to the collective role that characters like Queen Ramonda, Okoye, M’Baku, Nakia, and her own will have to tackle.
As if the face paint featured on the new Black Panther costume wasn’t enough to confirm Wright as the MCU’s new superhero, in hindsight it also makes perfect sense that filming for Black Panther:Wakanda Foreverwould be delayed if the titular hero received a severe knock like Wright’s, especially given she would have been involved in more action scenes. Still, there’s some room for a few surprises, as certain fan theories have pondered thatBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevercould see several actorsdon the Black Panther armor.
Shuri is the comic book-accurate replacement for T’Challa, but regardless of that the movie still has to explain how she gets to that point, whether she takes the purple herb or not, and if she’ll become a permanent member of the MCU’s lineup.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris scheduled to release in theaters on July 16, 2025.
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