Black Panther: Shuri is changing the way we see heroes in the MCU

Black Panther’s Shuri continues to be unlike any other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she still has plenty of potential.

You may have heard this before, but Black Panther’s anticipation was worth all of the hype. Killmonger is among the best villains we’ve seen in any movie, Okoye became a bonafide star, and Ryan Coogler solidified why he’s a big-time writer and director. As much as we loved Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa (the Black Panther), it was the women who stole the show. Among them was Letitia Wright, who played T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri.

Shuri’s character shouldn’t have been surprising for people who’ve read the comics. The audience loved her because she was funny, tough, and, above all else, intelligent. All of these are reasons why she’s going to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest stars.

Why she’s different

Unlike Tony Stark, Shuri is a proven and well-versed fighter. Stark is a fighter but, without his armor, he’s nowhere near as good as Shuri. Wakandan royalty must know how to defend themselves. As we’ve seen, there are times when they’ll be called upon to fight. We saw this when Shuri put on her warrior garb, grabbed her weapons and went into battle. If she wasn’t an experienced fighter, she wouldn’t have run into a fight with such confidence. And even after her gauntlets were destroyed, Shuri continued to fight by picking up a spear and proceeded to beat W’Baki’s soldiers.

And unlike Captain America or Bucky, Shuri can win a fight using her genius intellect. Both Cap and Bucky are above average when it comes to fighting and employing strategies in war. Nonetheless, their strengths remain on the battlefield. Shuri, on the other hand, can do both. We saw her put her mind to use when she attempted to save Vision in Avengers: Infinity War, before she picked up her gauntlets once more for the final fight in Avengers: Endgame.

Shuri has the perfect balance of fighting skills and intelligence. The only person who comes close to having both is Peter Parker (Spider-Man). But unlike Spider-Man, Shuri is willing to kill. This can be attributed to her upbringing. She wasn’t raised like Peter. Wakandans know that sometimes an enemy needs to be put down permanently. We’ve seen Spider-Man use the instant-kill mode in his suit, but does he have what it takes to do it with his bare hands? It’s doubtful. However, Shuri does. While Shuri lacks some of the athleticism that Spider-Man has, she’s a more experienced and skilled hand-to-hand fighter.

The future Black Panther

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In the comics, Shuri eventually became the Black Panther. If not for her being immobilized (a big guy fell on her), she would have gone into the ring before T’Challa. This would have led to her beating and, ultimately, becoming the new Black Panther. However, her time did come years later. An unfortunate event leads to her getting a chance to become the Black Panther, and she saves Wakanda from the totem eater Morlun. While she held the mantle, Shuri relied more on technology than her brother did; the same appears to be true in the movies.

Everything that happened in the comics can also happen in the films. But T’Challa losing the mantle of Black Panther wouldn’t mean he’d be done in the MCU. T’Challa was no longer king, but he was still Black Panther as was Shuri. Shuri was just queen and handled the affairs directly affecting Wakanda. Following this story would allow Marvel Studios to strengthen Shuri’s character progression in the MCU. Having the odds stacked against her and winning is a method that almost never fails, especially since Shuri will go about things differently. T’Challa has shown to prefer using his fists, while Shuri prefers to use both her own tech and her fists.

Lastly (and it’s been said here often), Shuri is a hero that kids can look up to. If you’re not a fighter, you can be a creator. Shuri proved that fighting isn’t the only way to win in a battle. Without her tech, Black Panther may not have beaten Killmonger. Shuri could absolutely inspire a generation of young women who could grow up to be scientists, all because they saw Shuri on the big screen. Some could also look at her and be inspired to create characters just like her. In short, Shuri’s future is limitless. So just sit back and enjoy the ride we’re all about to take.