In August 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman tragically lost his secret battle with cancer. Along with leaving behind a legacy of unforgettable work in film and theater, Boseman left Marvel’s Black Panther franchise with an uncertain future. Returning to direct the sequel, Ryan Coogler gifted its audience Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) which gave a deep look at what it means to mourn. Additionally, the film’s introduction of new characters made it a new triumph in diverse superhero filmmaking.

We are thrust into a Wakandan lab with T’Challa’s sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), who is trying to save the king from an off-screen illness. Unfortunately, the King loses his battle, as Boseman did in 2020, and the film picks up with Shuri and her mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), trying to keep themselves and their country strong in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The safety of their country, and the world, is threatened when a Meso-American demi-god (Tenoch Huerta) reveals himself and a long-lost nation. 

While the opening and closing sequences of the film were enough for me to need tissues, the rest of the two-hour and forty-one-minute feature lacked some cohesiveness, explanation, and development. At times, this felt like just another CGI spectacle whose plot was a little too predictable. However, this addition to the Marvel Universe proved to be one of the most diverse films in the long history of the multiverse.

Like its predecessor, Black Panther (2018), Wakanda Forever gave a beautiful glimpse at the diversity of African culture. There are stunning dance sequences, and the costume design exemplifies various tribal histories and contemporary fashion. The film incorporated outstanding black female representation in so many different capacities. Shuri, Ramonda, Riri/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) gave young girls black, female scientists, queens, mothers, warriors, and mourners. The performances in this film were beautifully vulnerable and balanced with bad-ass sequences of kicking ass and taking care of business.

I was pleasantly surprised that the antagonists of this film, including Namor (Huerta), were representatives of ancient Meso-American cultures like the Mayans and Aztecs. Alongside the representation of various African cultures, Meso-American culture, including paintings, jewelry, costumes, and sports, were featured in the film. I very rarely see representations of said people and culture. Even less frequently do I see films honestly address how poorly they were treated and why they aren’t often represented in film.

While the film was, first and foremost, a touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. However, the film touched on many subjects, including imperialism, colonialism, slavery, and the exploitation of resources. While the plot was a bit shaky, the themes in this film were much more mature than some of the previous Marvel installments. It was a breath of fresh air. There was honesty in the evil of countries and governments, honesty in the anger exploited people and cultures have, and honesty about how people deal with that anger. Marvel is obviously not going away for a long time, so I would like to see these mature concepts explored more. They may be vital in having more difficult conversations in the future. 

But Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was primarily about creating a space for private and communal mourning for King T’Challa and Boseman himself. In this stunning tribute, Marvel allows for Shuri, the Queen, and Wakanda to feel all the emotions one is subjected to when losing a loved one. We are invited to sit, sometimes in complete silence, with the actors to reflect. It’s very different from the predictable spectacles of superhero cinema, and more importantly, it allowed all of us to say goodbye to Chadwick Boseman.

Review Courtesy of Sara Ciplickas