The First Wakanda Forever Trailer Teases a New Black Panther

Two months after the first teaser for Marvel’s Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, we finally have a a full-length trailer that provides a better idea at how Wakanda is dealing with the death of King T’Challa, who’s being billed as the villain in this upcoming iteration, and who will be the next one to wear the Black Panther mask.

The two-minute video opens up with a celebration of life for T’Challa, who was played by Chadwick Boseman before his passing in 2020. A mural of Boseman’s face is seen on a building as the people of Wakanda dress in white to honor his memory. But, as Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda quips, with T’Challa’s death, Wakanda has “lost their protector,” and some are clearly taking advantage of that. In particular, we are introduced to Namor, leader of the underwater kingdom of Talocan, whom his people call K'uk'ulkan, “the feather serpent god.”

It seems Namor, played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta, will be the main foe of the sequel, but luckily, Wakanda has some defenders on its side. Lupita Nyong’o is returning for the second film, as is Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, and Martin Freeman. Michaela Coel will be making her Marvel debut in Wakanda Forever, as will Dominique Thorne who plays Riri Williams AKA Iron Heart and will be getting her own Disney+ series next year.

Perhaps most importantly, though, the Black Panther will live on, and while we don’t get to see who will step into the suit in the wake of T’Challa’s death, from the trailer it clearly seems to be a woman. Fans are already predicting it will be Shuri, T’Challa’s genius little sister portrayed by Letita Wright, who takes on the responsibility. In the comics, Shuri does, at one point, take over the role when T’Challa is injured, so there is precedent for this succession. Likely, though, we won’t know who’s behind the mask for sure until the movie hits theaters on November 11th.