Francis Ford Coppola’s name does not immediately come to mind while thinking of the MCU. Nonetheless, Marvel Studios executive vice president Nate Moore insists that the next “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” would evoke comparisons to the director’s seminal film “The Godfather.”
The original “Black Panther” was the only Marvel Cinematic Universe picture to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, thus there are great expectations for the sequel. In addition, with the unexpected death of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the title role in the 2018 film, many are curious as to how “Wakanda Forever” would respect the legacy of the late actor.
A comparison to “The Godfather” can only indicate one of two things: marketing hubris or Moore’s sincere hope that the most recent MCU film will earn a place in cinematic history.
Obviously, each MCU film tells its own tale while still contributing to the continuity established by prior Marvel films. Wakanda was a previously undiscovered area inside the MCU, providing “Black Panther” greater freedom to develop a narrative from scratch. On the other side, “Wakanda Forever” is reliant on what came before, as the people of Wakanda come to terms with the in-universe death of their king and the country’s new place in the international community.
While the marketing for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has primarily focused on the leaders of Wakanda coping with the unexpected death of King T’Challa, the film’s official poster, and trailers have also hinted at a clash between Wakanda and Talocan, the Aztec-inspired underwater world ruled by Namor.
Namor’s position in the next Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel has been revealed in a new plot summary. He will inform Wakanda of “a worldwide threat and his frightening plan to combat it,” prompting “the Wakandans to band together with the assistance of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross” to “create a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.”
Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Tenoch Huerta, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett star in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Tickets are currently on sale for the November 11 release of the next MCU sequel.