Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa Reveals Original Black Panther 2 Plot

Movie News
23 Dec, 2022

Director Ryan Coogler reveals the original plot of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which includes the moving story of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler shares a detailed synopsis of the original film's story for Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa. Marking the end of Phase 4 of the MCU, Coogler's 2018 Black Panther sequel was well received by audiences and critics alike. In the film, Shuri (Leetitia Wright) and Ramonda (Angela Bassett) try to deal with the grief following the death of King T'Challa of Wakanda while also dealing with Namor (Teno He Huerta) arrival. The film was originally announced ahead of Boseman's untimely death in 2020, and the actor's death changed the film's story, with Shuri taking over the Black Panther mantle.

While Coogler previously provided an original storyline for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the directors now detail their plans. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Coogler detailed how T'Challa's journey as a father will end and the larger role they have planned for his son Dusante. Check out Coogler's full review below:

"It was, “What are we going to do about the Blip?” [In Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” T’Challa is one of billions of people who suddenly vanish, only to be brought back by the Avengers five years later.] That was the challenge. It was absolutely nothing like what we made. It was going to be a father-son story from the perspective of a father, because the first movie had been a father-son story from the perspective of the sons. “In the script, T’Challa was a dad who’d had this forced five-year absence from his son’s life. The first scene was an animated sequence. You hear Nakia [T’Challa’s love interest, played by Lupita Nyong’o] talking to Toussaint [the couple’s child, introduced in “Wakanda Forever” in a post-credits sequence]. She says, 'Tell me what you know about your father.' You realize that he doesn’t know his dad was the Black Panther. He’s never met him, and Nakia is remarried to a Haitian dude. Then, we cut to reality and it’s the night that everybody comes back from the Blip. You see T’Challa meet the kid for the first time. “Then it cuts ahead three years and he’s essentially co-parenting. We had some crazy scenes in there for Chad, man. Our code name for the movie was “Summer Break,” and the movie was about a summer that the kid spends with his dad. For his eighth birthday, they do a ritual where they go out into the bush and have to live off the land. But something happens and T’Challa has to go save the world with his son on his hip. That was the movie.”

​​​​​​Why Wakanda Forever Was The Perfect Ending To MCU Phase 4

While clearly not Coogler's original vision for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the film is still a fitting end to Phase 4. The official start of Phase 4, dubbed "The Multiverse Saga," has had mixed reactions from fans, with many claiming that the movies and show lack the focus and cohesion of the previous phases. Movies that come at the end of a phase, like 2012's The Avengers, can hardly feel like the end of a chapter while still laying the groundwork for what's to come. With Boseman's death, the mission is even more monumental for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

As the film's opening makes clear, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is first and foremost a tribute to Boseman and his powerful influence on the MCU and the cast more generally. Shuri refuses to accept and fully process her grief over the loss of her brother, and eventually turns it into anger during the final battle with Namor. However, in the film's final moments, she embraces her feelings. By embracing her grief, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" closes a particular chapter in Shuri's life and paves the way for the future, which is further reinforced by her being the new Wakanda hero . What's more, Ramonda's death also represents the end of an era in Wakanda, with Winston Duke's M'Baku taking the throne at the end of the film.

Besides feeling very much like the end of a story, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also introduced elements that would continue to function in the MCU. Toussaint's end credits affirms that T'Challa's legacy lives on and speaks to the film's theme of rebirth. A significant development is also represented by the introduction of Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), aka Ironheart, who will be Iron Man's successor. How Toussaint, Ironheart, and Shuri's Black Panther will fit into the MCU remains to be seen, but Coogler's sequel represents a major turning point, ending an otherwise rocky start for the Multiverse Saga.

More: 'Black Panther 2' breaks with one of the oldest MCU traditions for good reason

Next Post Previous Post
No Comment
Add Comment
comment url