Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (soundtrack)

Lore & Background

A soundtrack extended play titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Prologue was released on July 25, 2022, featuring three songs including Tems' cover of Bob Marley's 'No Woman, No Cry'. The soundtrack album was released on November 4, 2022, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music from and Inspired By, with Rihanna's single 'Lift Me Up' releasing on October 28. Göransson's score album was released on November 11, 2022, coinciding with the film's release.

Reader's Guide

The soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is significant for its deep cultural research and integration of ancient Mayan music, which Göransson recreated with the help of musical archaeologists. The score and songs blend traditional instruments with contemporary styles, reflecting the film's themes of heritage and loss. The soundtrack received critical acclaim, and the single 'Lift Me Up' was a commercial success, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The project stands as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, with the song serving as a tribute to his character T'Challa.

Did You Know?

• Göransson went to Mexico City to research and recreate Mesoamerican music (including Aztec and Mayan influences), feeling it was forcibly erased from history.
• Namor's theme was played using a seashell, which Göransson described as a difficult instrument with limited range.
• The song 'Lift Me Up' was produced and co-written by Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Tems.
• Recording for the soundtrack and score happened simultaneously in Mexico and Lagos, with additional recording in Los Angeles.

The Weight of the Mantle

Shuri's journey from reluctant princess to Black Panther forms the emotional core of the film. After her brother T'Challa succumbs to a terminal illness she was unable to cure with the heart-shaped herb, she flatly refuses to assume the mantle, arguing that the role is no longer needed. A year later, with foreign powers pressuring Wakanda to share its vibranium and attempting to steal it by force, Queen Ramonda urges Shuri to continue her research toward creating a new Black Panther. The pivotal moment arrives after Ramonda drowns while shielding Riri Williams during Namor's devastating attack on Wakanda. Consumed by grief, Shuri reconstructs the herb from a remnant that once granted Namor's people their superhuman abilities, ingests it, and encounters Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, where he probes whether she will pursue revenge or honor. She emerges in a new suit, is embraced by the Wakandan tribes, and plants additional herbs to safeguard the mantle's continuity. In her final private act, she burns her funeral robe in Haiti, honoring Ramonda's wish that she finally grieve her brother.

A Production Shaped by Loss

The sequel's development began almost immediately after the 2018 original, with Ryan Coogler negotiating his return as director within months of the first film's release. Marvel Studios officially confirmed the project's development in mid-2019. Everything shifted dramatically in August 2020 when Chadwick Boseman, the actor who embodied T'Challa, passed away from colon cancer. Rather than recast the role, Marvel chose to restructure the narrative around his absence, making his death the emotional catalyst for the entire story. The return of other principal cast members was confirmed that November, and the sequel's title, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was revealed to the public in May 2021. Principal photography kicked off in late June in Atlanta, utilizing both Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios, before the production moved to Massachusetts in August. Filming was halted in November to allow Letitia Wright to recover from an injury she sustained on set, resuming by mid-January 2022 and wrapping in late March in Puerto Rico.

Two Nations, One Ocean

The film introduces Talokan, a vibranium-rich underwater kingdom inhabited by blue-skinned, water-breathing superhumans led by Namor. His people have hidden from the surface world for centuries, bitter over the slavery and genocide inflicted on them by colonial powers. When a U.S. expedition team uses a vibranium detector to locate a deposit in the Atlantic, Namor's warriors kill the team, and he confronts Wakanda with an ultimatum: surrender the scientist behind the detector or face military attack. He proposes an alliance against the rest of the world, framing both nations as victims of surface-world exploitation. The conflict escalates when Namor attacks Wakanda, resulting in Ramonda's death. The war culminates in a desert beach confrontation where Shuri, after gaining the upper hand, sees a vision of Ramonda urging peace. Namor yields, and his cousin Namora is upset by the surrender, but Namor believes the alliance will strengthen Talokan.

Box Office, Accolades, and What Comes Next

Released in the United States on November 11, 2022, as the final film in Phase Four of the MCU, the movie earned $859.2 million at the global box office, securing its position as the sixth-highest-grossing film of that year. Critics responded generally positively, and both the film and Angela Bassett's performance as Queen Ramonda attracted substantial industry recognition: five Academy Award nominations (with a win for Costume Design), one British Academy Film Award, six Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations (two of which resulted in wins), two Golden Globe nominations (one win), and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. The narrative's reach extends well beyond the theatrical release: a spin-off miniseries centered on Dominique Thorne's character Riri Williams, titled Ironheart, premiered in June 2025. Looking further ahead, another sequel is already scheduled for a December 2028 release, signaling that the Wakanda saga—now anchored by Shuri and the broader ensemble—continues to evolve within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.