“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was rated as “one of the best MCU movies that they’ve made”  “Black Panther”, a 2hr 18m film, came out on February 16, 2018. According to Google, the movie is rated 4.5 stars and is available on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, etc. The main character is T’ Challa (aka The Black Panther, played by now-deceased actor Chadwick Boseman). In the film, the King of Wakanda has recently died, and his son, T’Challa, returns to the African nation to take over after his father’s death. 

The second movie, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was released in theaters on November 11, 2022, and runs 2hr 41m. Google gave the sequel a rating of 4.1 stars, and the hope is it will also come out on Disney+ soon. 

The main character is now Shuri (T’Challa’s sister, played by Letitia Wright) who takes over (spoiler alert) as the Black Panther. Everyone fights to protect Wakanda from the outside world as other nations try to steal the Wakandians’ vibranium, an important resource. Shuri thought she could save T’Challa by trying to get the herb back. Namor is the new enemy – he views the surface world as a threat to his people, and also wants to kill the engineer who built the vibranium-detecting drill so he can contain the secret of Talokan.

Viewers will love the movie and want to watch it again. Marvel dedicated scenes to  Boseman that will prompt tears, but the end of the film is totally unexpected! Those who have watched the first movie are highly recommended to watch the second one.

One of the reasons this movie is a must-watch is because it serves as a memorial to Boseman’s memory, and the impact he made on the superhero genre. In the beginning, the Wakadians celebrate T’Challa’s, aka the Black Panther’s, death by grieving in a good way, remembering him with music and dancing. The opening Marvel gave provided a brief tribute to Boseman, which was very touching and unlocked many memories. Although Boseman passed away before filming was complete, all of the clips were about him.

Another reason fans need to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as soon as possible is because the ending is nothing like they expect. Spoiler alert: Most people thought Shuri was going to kill Namor, the movie’s key villain, but she does not because she realizes their revenge was hurting the Wakandians and Tolokans. Namor accepts his defeat by self-preservation. Shuri travels to Haiti to visit Nakia (a war dog, an international spy for Wakanda, and was in a relationship with T’Challa) and to burn her ceremonial clothes from T’Challa’s funeral, it is at that moment Nakia comes out with someone else and asks her, “Shuri can we join you now? This is my son T’Challa. This is your auntie, Shuri.” To fully understand the context of this ending and quote, fans must watch the movie.

The sequel is definitely not the same without Boseman, but Marvel President Kevin Feige was not ready to recast the film following the lead actor’s death, saying that, “replacing Boseman was never a realistic option for Marvel- or for fans.” Boseman fought stage 3 colon cancer for four years before the disease progressed to stage 4. Everyone found out about Boseman’s death through social media. Boseman was in at least 16 movies, and so while the film lacked his presence, no one can fault Marvel. 

So, if you have not watched “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, what are you waiting for?