Did Marvel Just Confirm the New Black Panther in Wakanda Forever?

A new promotional trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may have confirmed who will be the new Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sequel to 2018’s Black Panther has the tough task of continuing the franchise without Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died of colon cancer in 2020. Marvel Studios has chosen not to recast the role of T’Challa, though there is a segment of fandom petitioning for a new actor to step into the role to keep the character of T’Challa alive and well. The second trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever teased T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) donning the Vibranium suit, and now a new video appears to confirm it as well.

The “Long Live Wakanda” 45-second promo for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever includes a lot of new footage from the Ryan Coogler-directed film. Around the 38-second mark, our new Black Panther is shown in battle, hitting a backflip and firing shockwaves from a pair of wrist gauntlets. These gauntlets are very similar to the ones Princess Shuri wore not only in the first Black Panther movie, but also in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Is Shuri the new Black Panther in Wakanda Forever?

Marvel Studios has not officially confirmed who will become the new Black Panther at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There has been much speculation on which character could take on the role, with theories ranging from Shuri, M’Baku, Nakia, and even Killmonger. As far as recasting Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, Lupita Nyong’o is against the idea.

“That is not the death of the Black Panther, that’s the whole point,” Nyong’o told THR. “It’s laying to rest [T’Challa] and allowing for real life to inform the story of the movies. I know that there are all sorts of reasons why people want him to be recast, but I don’t have the patience. I don’t have the presence of mind, or I don’t have the objectivity to argue with that. I don’t. I’m very biased.”

Who Are the New Characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?

Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, is a young genius who builds her own Iron Man-esque armor. She makes her Marvel debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, before starring in Ironheart, her own solo series on Disney+.

As for Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, instead of hailing from Atlantis, the MCU version of the Sub-Mariner rules over Talocan, which comes from Aztec mythology. Namor has also been confirmed to be a mutant in the MCU.

Tickets for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are on sale now. The movie premieres November 11th, only in theaters.