'Black Panther': Shuri's Key Role Revealed

A lot of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe revolve around the idea of family, whether by blood or otherwise. But when it comes to Black Panther, those bonds are even stronger.

While the King of Wakanda rules with the aide and expertise of his mother, T'Challa's sister Shuri(Letitia Wright) often fights right by his side. But she's responsible for much, much more.

ComicBook.com spoke with producer Nate Moore during a visit to the set of Black Panther, learning more about Shuri's role in the new movie.

"[Shuri]'s a big part of the film," said Moore. "She's his sister, so she's going to be next to him in a lot of these adventures, a lot of these scenes. Again, our Shuri is the head of the design group, so it's a bit of a different track than what you've seen in comics before."

The events of Captain America: Civil War will resonate throughout Black Panther, and Shuri will be one of the most affected. But as Killmonger unites with Klaw to take over Wakanda, Shuri will be arming her brother with new weapons to stop them.

"She, like T'Challa, lost her father in the last film, and that's going to resonate with her, as well," Moore said. "Being the head of technology in Wakanda has a ton of responsibility. One of that responsibility is, again, keeping that technology secret, while still developing these amazing gadgets. As the walls start to close in, what does she have to do to make sure what she's done stays out of the wrong hands."

Black Panther has previously been compared to a secret agent movie not unlike the James Bond franchise, and Moore clarified that Shuri is almost like T'Challa's version of Q "to some degree."

"That's a comparison that we've made, and we didn't want it to be that one-to-one, but for sure. She's a big reason why T'Challa gets some new gadgets in the film," Moore said.

Fans will get to learn more about Shuri when Black Panther premieres on February 16th.