Chadwick Boseman Says Shuri Has "The Most Important" Role in 'Black Panther'

Black Panther might center on the King of Wakanda, but Chadwick Boseman says that one of his [...]

Black Panther might center on the King of Wakanda, but Chadwick Boseman says that one of his costars will have a much more pivotal role.

In new interview with CNET, Boseman was asked about the role of Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) in the upcoming Marvel Studios film. As he explained, her significance in her older brother's tenure as the Black Panther has a big impact on the fiilm.

"Her role is the most important." Boseman revealed. "In the comic book, T'Challa is a scientist and a king, but my sister is the whiz kid. She is the one with that gift. She's the Tony Stark of Wakanda. She's witty, she's cool, she's funny. Now, T'Challa is good in science too, but she's the whiz. That's the way the story's been told forever. T'Challa is technologically sound. He's a scientist as well, but she's the minister of technology."

According to Boseman, this positive portrayal of Shuri's Tony Stark-level intellect will hopefully have a big impact, and shatter stereotypes about women in STEM fields.

"If anyone doesn't think there's a place for women in tech," Boseman argued, "it's completely demolished in this movie."

While Shuri has yet to make her official Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, early reports indicate that she could leave quite a mark on it. Wright is set to reprise her role in the highly-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War. And while the current state of the MCU's Phase Four is currently a mystery, Wright has already expressed a willingness to have Shuri take on the Black Panther mantle, as she did in 2009.

"It's just exciting. That's an exciting part of it." Wright revealed earlier this year. "You don't know which way it's going to go, because obviously they take from the comic book, add their flavor to it, and then they keep it going."

Black Panther premieres in theaters February 16, 2018.

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