‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Successfully Pays Tribute, Moves Mythology Forward

Director Ryan Coogler had a thin line to walk for his sequel to Black Panther.

Following up 2018’s mega-hit that was unlike any Marvel superhero we’d seen before, reaching out to audiences and cultures that previously felt underserved by blockbuster entertainment, would have been difficult enough. Coogler had an opportunity to direct a sequel to 2015’s Creed, but passed on it to jump into the Marvel sandbox and bring comic books’ first Black superhero to the big screen.

Topping himself and continuing the story of Wakanda’s King T’Challa was going to be much more difficult — logistically and emotionally — after the death of star Chadwick Boseman two years ago. How could Marvel and Coogler, along with the amazing cast and crew that brought the fictional African nation to vivid life, keep the story going without the Black Panther himself?

Out of respect to Boseman, Marvel decided that T’Challa wouldn’t be recast. That was probably the correct decision, especially so soon after the actor’s death. Asking fans — and those who worked with Boseman — to accept a new face in the role would have been difficult. (Though during the past two years, sentiment — online, anyway — has turned toward recasting and advancing a character that was so iconic, so important to audiences.)

So Coogler and writer Joe Robert Cole (who collaborated on the first film’s screenplay) embraced the real world’s intrusion on Marvel mythology and acknowledged Boseman’s death in the story by giving T’Challa much the same traffic fate. As a result, Wakanda Forever serves as a tribute to the actor, allowing fans and colleagues to mourn and perhaps find closure with the loss.

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‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer Teases Emotional Punch, Exciting New Character

Fans attending Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend may get more exciting and titillating news, but for the larger pop culture world seeking intriguing teases of superhero and comic book-based movies, there won’t be anything more compelling than this first look at the Black Panther sequel.

Based on its first trailer, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is doing nothing to avoid — or attempt to cleverly explain — King T’Challa being gone because of Chadwick Boseman’s death two years ago.

Director Ryan Coogler is steering right into it, which should be expected since Marvel decided not to re-cast T’Challa and the entire cast and crew dealt with losing Boseman throughout this entire project. And Wakanda Forever could pack quite an emotional punch if the complete film matches the resonance of the trailer.

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‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Major Disappointment, Despite Fun Characters and Grand Spectacle

“Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science,” Thor said to Jane Foster in Marvel’s first Thor movie (2011). “I come from a land where they are one and the same.”

Whatever it’s called, the magic is gone. At least for the God of Thunder’s run under director Taika Waititi.

Thor: Love and Thunder has some beautiful visuals, creative set pieces, and compelling character arcs, especially for Natalie Portman’s Foster. But the story trying to hold them all together is too weak to build a satisfying film that ranks among the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What makes this so disappointing is that Waititi’s previous Thor film, 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, was such a refreshing change of direction from the other Marvel movies with its fast pace, outlandish color palette, and bold designs influenced by legendary artists like Jack Kirby, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Moebius. (The new wave soundtrack by Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh added to the alien atmosphere.)

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