Main Image via People Magazine
The first Black Panther film was a moment of representation as the first standalone film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to centre around an African American superhero. Chadwick Boseman became a hero in his own right to young children everywhere who looked like him, but his untimely death changed the course of the Black Panther stories forever and it is evident in the sequel of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The film, currently in theatres now, is also the second version of itself, based on a script that writer/director Ryan Coogler had to rewrite after the shocking death of the star who is the beating heart of the story’s universe. This heartbreak and loss became the backbone of the film, giving it a heart-rending new purpose: that instead of reuniting us with this character, we must learn to say goodbye instead.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The film opens in Shuri's (Letitia Wright) lab. It’s chaotic and the helplessness we feel in this scene as Shuri asks for updates on her brother’s dwindling health status is palpable throughout. T’Challa is nowhere to be seen, but it’s implied that he’s nearby.
The denial Shuri is in, as she desperately does everything in her power to save her brother and yet her refusal to go to T'Challa's side and say her goodbyes wrenches at you because you know the inevitable is about to come. Not a moment later, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) comes into the room with tears in her eyes and gives Shuri the devastating news: “Your brother,” she says, “is with the ancestors.”
The film then cuts to T’Challa’s funeral, and as per their tradition, they carry T’Challa’s casket through the capital city, where people line the streets and dance, in celebration of the Black Panther’s life.
This poignant scene, of people celebrating T’Challa’s life, driven home with a mural of his face on a wall as they pass is so incredibly jarring, especially since it then cuts to the look on the faces of the Queen and the Princess, who must be strong for their people though they’re grieving too.
Image via Marvel Studios
Now, this is the part that made so many people, this writer included, tear up almost immediately. The traditional Marvel intro — typically, a montage of past MCU film moments fluttering into the form of the company logo — is instead a silent montage of Chadwick as the Black Panther over the years, a fitting tribute to the man who enlivened the franchise and nobly carried the mantle across four different Marvel films.
The opening to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the only way to deal with Chadwick’s death. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Ryan borrowed from real life as closely as he could. The exact cause of T’Challa’s death is never revealed, but it’s repeated throughout that he died of an unspecified illness that he kept secret from his family until it was too late. It’s heartbreakingly similar to Chadwick’s real-life battle with colon cancer, which he kept secret until his death in 2020.
Letitia Wright has spoken about the shock of learning about his death when the world did, telling Variety that she thought it was a sick joke and found herself repeatedly calling and texting Chadwick’s number, waiting for him to pick up.
“It haunted me for months that I couldn’t say goodbye to him or be around my Black Panther family to share in that moment,” Letitia said.
Image via Marvel Studios
That devastation is written directly into the film.
Shuri is adrift by the loss of her brother - furious that her genius couldn’t save him in his hour of need and anger at those around her who seemed to have found peace with their grief while she is consumed by her pain and heartache of his loss to the point of pushing her brother out of her mind.
It makes her “want to burn the whole world”, she says. A threat to be taken seriously after the death of her mother, drowned by Namor when he decides to attack Wakanda after Shuri refuses to help him wage war on the surface world.
Image via Marvel Studios
It’s a shocking second death, that pushes the film to its extreme on its lessons of grief. Who are we and what do we become when we lose the people we love the most? How do we survive this?
A moment that sticks out is after the Queen’s funeral, M’Baku who is offering Shuri his comfort, doesn’t know what to say when she responds, “I just lost the last person who ever truly understood me.”
This line, in such a heavy film on loss, stings the most.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a look at raw grief, with a tasteful narrative layered over very real loss. It offers fans all over the world a chance to grieve Chadwick Boseman. The story doesn’t rush ahead without him, but rather intentionally sits with his loss.
Image via The Los Angeles Times
It’s refreshing considering the last few years have seen filmmakers make bold - if ethically questionable choices - to honour their dead. From CGI resurrections to using AI to generate new dialogue - Coogler could have done the same, but declines, choosing instead to let T’Challa truly rest in peace.
He pays tribute with montages: one at the beginning, and another montage at the end, when Shuri finally burns her funeral garb (signifying the end of her mourning period) while visiting Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) in Haiti. She closes her eyes, remembering all of the good times she had with her brother.
Chadwick’s face is the last thing we see before Shuri opens her eyes again.
But then, Marvel’s signature mid-credit scene arrives. Nakia comes to Shuri, bringing with her an adorable six-year-old boy named Toussaint. This, she reveals, is her and T’Challa’s son. Toussaint is just his Haitian name, he tells Shuri. His real name is T’Challa, named after his father.
It’s a beautiful revelation, full of warmth, love and acceptance. Her brother’s legacy will live on, and the Black Panther will live forever.
Have you seen the film? What are your thoughts on the movie?
Info via: Marvel Studios, Variety
By Vennisha N.