Wakanda Forever paves the path of grief
Wakanda Forever paves the path of grief
19 November 2022
After the passing of Chadwick Boseman, a talented cast carry the story of Wakanda Forever. However, Letitia Wright (far right) is the momentum thrusting the story – and the audience – forward. (From left) Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Tenoch Huerta as Namor, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Dominique Thorne as RiRi Williams and Leitita Wright as Shuri. Courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Marvel movies are known for their witty one-liners and action sequences worthy of any superhero. Yet in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we are given perhaps their most honest story yet. And it comes in the form of silence as the cast grieves the loss of Chadwick Boseman.
Shuri (Letitia Wright) wears her grief like a cloak through Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
As the star of the original Black Panther movie released in 2018, Boseman became an icon worldwide. And it wasn’t just due to his portrayal of the character King T’Challa – the reigning monarch of the thriving fictional country of Wakanda in Africa. It wasn’t even due to his synonymous portrayal as the Black Panther – the seemingly infallible superhero and defender of his people. It was because Boseman was all this and more. And to state the impact he had on popular culture as a black man representing power, culture, and freedom is near impossible.
The whole world was shocked when Boseman died unexpectedly from cancer in August 2020. Only those closest to him knew about his diagnosis. And so, when we found out, so did his cast mates. And we all learned that the Black Panther – because honestly, that is who Boseman was to many – had not only acted through his terminal illness. But he had lived it out with integrity, power and vigour.
Which leads us to Wakanda Forever. Because if Boseman is the Black Panther, can there be another movie? That seems to be the pervading question for everyone involved in the sequel. So it seems fitting that his fictional sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), the princess of Wakanda and a scientific mastermind, is the character to usher in this paradox. We palpably feel her grief as she clamours to find a scientific solution to her brother’s illness, and we experience the same void of despair when she hears the words from her mother she has been dreading, “He’s gone”.
Angela Bassett (centre) played Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever and must defend Wakanda from international threats trying to penetrate her country’s border for Virbanium. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Here, silence rings in a new era for Wakanda, and, indeed, Marvel. This is a void Shuri carries like a cloak through the entire two hours and 40 minutes of the film as she grapples with her grief, the needs of her country, and a burgeoning external threat that could destroy everything she lives for. And if you don’t feel a catch in your throat as she clings to T’Challa’s coffin during the funeral, you surely will by the end credit scene, which takes us full circle.
Shuri’s narrative is the driving force in Wakanda Forever. And while we know that she is suffering a year after her brother’s death, she refuses to acknowledge this. Thus, as the world tries to take advantage of Wakanda, believing they are vulnerable without their protector, the personal trauma of the main cast is the plumb line everything stems from. It is the darkness that heralds the international search for Vibranium outside the realm of Wakanda. And it is the foreboding unease carried by new character Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his people, as they use superhuman strength to protect, dominate and wage war on anyone who threatens their underwater kingdom.
There are still moments of wit in Wakanda Forever as if the cast is winking at us with the assurance that joy still exists. And the sisterly banter between Shuri and Okoye (Danai Gurira), as well as the friendship developing between Shuri and new character RiRi Williams (Dominique Thorne, who will take on the mantle of IronHeart), are reminders that we will laugh again. The Wakandan’s comment that the returning character of CIA Agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) is ‘the coloniser’ in two movies is hilarious and poignant – showing how humour could be further used to inform society towards reconciliation and equality.
Tenoch Huerta plays Namor, the mutant human and god-like character who rules the underwater kingdom of Talokan. Comic book canon tells us he is the Sub-Mariner. But will he be a hero or villain in Wakanda's story? Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
While Wakanda Forever includes moments of laughter, we too must accompany Shuri on her journey through grief – walking through logic, ceasing to camp out in shallow banter, and deciding whether we will use our anger for vengeance or justice. How Shuri decides to process her grief will determine the fate of herself and her people. And as humanity grieves the loss of Boseman as a symbol of hope, perseverance and justice, we are also invited on this journey.
From start to finish, you can’t forget that every emotion displayed in Wakanda Forever is real and visceral to the cast. They know they represent something greater than themselves for the betterment of humanity. And while that’s a big call, it’s a position that Boseman chose to fill in his lifetime. So, in a film dedicated to him, it seems fitting they share this totality with such poise, grace and honesty. In doing so, they gracefully ask us to do the same.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is rated M for mature themes and violence. Available at cinemas now.
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