Black Panther’s Ruth E. Carter Opens Up About Honoring Chadwick Boseman in Wakanda Forever’s Memorial

Black Panther costume designer Ruth E. Carter actually spoke about how the new movie honors Chadwick Boseman this week. In an interview with Variety, she laid out how they chose to approach the funeral scene that has been discussed on social media. Interestingly, Carter melded both real-world experience and MCU history for the costumes in that moment. Fans will remember Boseman’s trip to the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther. It seems as though the funeral will harken back to that moment in a very clever way. The short nod does not lessen the emotional impact of the gravity inherent in such a scene. But it also deepens the feeling of authenticity among the audience and the cast members. Check out what she had to say right here.

“In the Ancestral Plane, when T’Challa wakes up and sees his father, he’s wearing white,” Carter explained to the outlet. “White is a color that’s worn in a lot of funerals in Africa — it’s either bright red or it’s white — and we chose white because it connects us to Chadwick, to T’Challa.”

How Will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Honor Chadwick Boseman?

The sequel’s star, Letitia Wright, has been adamant about how this movie will honor Boseman’s legacy. In fact, all of the cast has been extremely vocal about how this was a stated goal for the project. Wright plays Shuri in Wakanda Forever, and she had a very special bond with the man who played her brother on-screen. She knows the weight of this film and the pressure from audiences to follow-up on one of the MCU’s biggest crowd-pleasers. 

“It was hard for me to imagine being on set without my brother. It was something I was battling for months,” Wright shared. “The confidence that Ryan [Coogler] felt that he heard Chadwick just give him that gentle push forward, to continue. And the way that Ryan would express that it was bigger than all of us, and Chad would have wanted us to continue. That really encouraged me. I have so much confidence. I love Ryan.” Wright added, “I can’t wait for you guys to see the film and how we honored Chad in a beautiful way.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rushes into theaters November 11.

Did you realize this subtle nod to the first film? Let us know down in the comments!