Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
A sequel exploring grief and legacy after T'Challa's death.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in 2022, is an American superhero film from Marvel Comics that centers on Shuri taking up the mantle of Black Panther. It was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. As the follow-up to 2018's *Black Panther*, it stands as the 30th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Ryan Coogler directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole. The cast includes Letitia Wright as Shuri / Black Panther, along with Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Angela Bassett. The story follows Wakanda's leaders as they defend their country after the death of King T'Challa.
Discussions about a sequel started shortly after the first *Black Panther* came out in February 2018. Coogler worked out a deal to return as director later that year, and Marvel Studios officially announced the sequel's development in mid-2019. Those plans shifted in August 2020, when Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa, died from colon cancer; Marvel chose not to recast his role. By November 2020, the return of most main cast members from the original film was confirmed, and in May 2021, the sequel's title was revealed as *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever*. Filming began in late June 2021 in Atlanta, using both Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios, then moved to Massachusetts in August. Production paused in November to let Wright recover from an injury she sustained on set. It resumed by mid-January 2022 and wrapped in late March in Puerto Rico.
The film had its premiere at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 26, 2022. It was released in the United States on November 11, marking the final film of Phase Four in the MCU. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, and it earned $859.2 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2022. *Wakanda Forever* and Angela Bassett's performance received many awards and nominations, including five Academy Awards (winning for Costume Design), one British Academy Film Award, six Critics' Choice Movie Awards (winning two), two Golden Globe Awards (winning one), and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- Release year
- 2022
- Director
- Ryan Coogler
- Screenwriter(s)
- Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole
- Studio
- Marvel Studios
- Distributor
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Box office
- $859.2 million worldwide
- Academy awards won
- 1 (Costume Design)
Lore & Background
Ideas for a sequel began after the release of Black Panther in February 2018. Coogler negotiated to return as director in the following months, and Marvel Studios officially confirmed the sequel's development in mid-2019. Plans for the film changed in August 2020 when Black Panther star and T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer, with Marvel choosing not to recast his role. The return of other main cast members from the first film was confirmed that November, and the sequel's title was revealed to be Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in May 2021. Filming began in late June in Atlanta, taking place at both Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios, before moving to Massachusetts in August, but was halted in November to allow Wright to recover from an injury sustained during filming. It resumed by mid-January 2022 and wrapped in late March in Puerto Rico.
Reader's Guide
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered at the El Capitan Theatre and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 26, 2022, and was released in the United States on November 11, as the final film in Phase Four of the MCU. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $859.2 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2022. Wakanda Forever and Bassett's performance received numerous awards and nominations, including five Academy Awards (winning Costume Design), one British Academy Film Award, six Critics' Choice Movie Awards (winning two), two Golden Globe Awards (winning one), and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. A spin-off miniseries focusing on Thorne's Riri Williams, Ironheart, premiered in June 2025. A sequel is scheduled for release in December 2028. The film's plot follows T'Challa's death from a terminal illness, Shuri's journey to become the new Black Panther, and Wakanda's conflict with the underwater kingdom of Talokan led by Namor. The mid-credits scene reveals that Nakia and T'Challa had a son named Toussaint, whose Wakandan name is T'Challa.
Did You Know?
- Filming was halted in November 2021 to allow Letitia Wright to recover from an injury sustained during filming.
- The film features the introduction of the underwater kingdom of Talokan, led by Namor.
- A spin-off miniseries focusing on Riri Williams, titled Ironheart, premiered in June 2025.
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