SDCC: First trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever released

The Black Panther franchise will continue this year with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel — directed by Ryan Coogler — comes over four years after its 2018 predecessor, and serves as a new chapter for the Marvel Studios series. The film will show audiences what Black Panther’s world will look like without T’Challa, who was retired from the MCU following Chadwick Boseman’s passing in 2020.

Aside from promotional images, Wakanda Forever has been surrounded by a secrecy akin to Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s, but the veil is lifting. San Diego Comic-Con 2022 is happening right now, and Marvel Studios had an exciting presentation where it released the first trailer for the next adventure in the world of Wakanda.

Watch the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer

In usual Marvel fashion, this first look expertly treads the line between providing a feel for the sequel without giving a lot of details away. The trailer pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman, which feels like a goodbye to both the actor and T’Challa, who, as previously mentioned, will not return to the MCU.

During an interview with Ringer-Verse, Marvel Studios Producer Nate Moore explained that T’Challa would not appear in the franchise again out of respect for the actor:

"“I’m not hedging my bets, I’m being quite honest: You will not see T’Challa in the MCU 616 Universe. We couldn’t do it. I mean, I will say, when [Chadwick Boseman] passed, it was a real conversation we had with [Director Ryan Coogler] about, ‘What do we do?,’ and it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of, ‘We have to figure out how to move this franchise on without that character.’ Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa in the MCU on the screen […] is tied to Chadwick’s performance; is what he brought to that role, both on and off-screen, I would argue.”"

Another aspect worth noting is the teaser’s look. The cinematography is eye-catching, specifically when it comes to Wakanda, making it clear that Wakanda Forever will carry on the breathtaking visual nature of its predecessor.

Handling Different Plot Points

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is particularly packed. For starters, the film needs to further the legacy and mythology of its corner of the MCU without T’Challa, which means finding another wearer of the Black Panther mantle. Such a storyline is already worthy of an entire film, especially because it could impact how Wakanda and its people will play into the MCU moving forward.

Adding to that, the sequel will introduce Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart. Williams, played by Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah), is getting her own series on Disney Plus, and it seems the movie could at least partially establish what she’ll be dealing within that project.

Furthermore, in 2021, The Cosmic Circus reported that Black Panther 2 would introduce T’Challa and Nakia’s (Lupita Nyong’o) son. While that’s only a rumor, it seems like a believable way to keep Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa’s spirit in the Black Panther series.

Standalone films dealing with multiple major storylines for the MCU is nothing new. It’s already been done in Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the significance of the confirmed and rumored story beats could make Wakanda Forever one of the MCU’s most important chapters.

Still, even with all of that taken into account, it doesn’t seem like the sequel will forgo a powerful story in favor of spectacle. The core of the film is still grounded in the desire to honor Boseman’s legacy and Black Panther’s importance in pop culture. Speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige discussed how much care was taken with handling the story of Wakanda Forever:

"“Yes, I mean the death of Chad hit all of us extremely [hard]. […] And there were all sorts of questions, and our first thought for many weeks afterwards had nothing to do with the movie; it had to do with him and his family, and his wife, and his legacy. And really, we were looking to Ryan Coogler for guidance […] and having the discussions, which essentially came down to continuing the legacy of Wakanda and continuing with that storyline in a very meaningful, respectful, and yet still hopeful and fun and exciting way, which was difficult after losing Chad. And I will say that Ryan and our producer, Nate Moore, the entire cast, and our co-writer Joe Robert Cole, have done some remarkable things in the story and the draft. And the team is assembling once again and cameras roll in the not-too-distant future on that. And it will be extremely emotional across the board, but I think they have something very special in mind.”"

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will make its way into theaters on November 11, 2022.

Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow for everything SDCC 2022.

What did you think about the first trailer for Black Panther 2? What do you expect to see in the film? Let us know in the comments!