Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverhas a lot of ground to cover as the first direct sequel in the MCU produced without its original protagonist, and though remembering Chadwick Boseman may play a big part in the film, early concept art shows it’s the Wakandan women who are jumping to the forefront to succeed King T’Challa.
After all, with Boseman passing away, Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger dying inBlack Panther, andDaniel Kaluuya not returning forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, it seems like M’Baku and Everett Ross are the sole two male characters coming back. So, since the trailer heavily hints at the new Black Panther being one of the women from Wakanda, it makes perfect sense that the likes of Shuri, Nakia, Okoye, and Queen Ramonda are heavily featured in the promotional efforts forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
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The officialBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevertrailershared by Marvel Studios was accompanied by a poster that featured a much sober image of T’Challa’s empty helmet in all black, people close to the studio posted some more colorful work. This work included a poster made by Marvel Studios' Head of Visual Development, character designer and concept artist, Ryan Meinerding (@MeinerdingArt). The poster in question was first posted by writer Angélique Roché and it features a T’Challa in a purple background with Nakia, Ramonda, and Shuri in the center of artwork.
It’s unclear whether this or something similar could end up being used as an official poster for the film. After all, at this stage it’s likely the marketing team would prefer to keep the memory of Boseman in the spotlight. Although M’Baku will surely want a shot at the Wakandan throne and the chance to take the heart-shaped purple herb, Shuri looks like a more viable candidate to do so for now.
Posters for the originalBlack Panthermovie were a controversial subject for Disney back in 2018 when the company altered artwork showing Boseman’s face to instead display a masked version of the superhero exclusively for the Chinese market. The latter seems like an unlikely proposition at this stage because whileBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverdidn’t show anything that might outright sound off the alarm from Chinese censors,China’s anti-Marvel stanceappears to have hardened past previous guidelines in Phase Four.
With arumoredBlack Panthervideo game on the wayand the Prologue music releasing its version of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry," the road to theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverpremiere looks promising.
Black Panther: WakandaForeveris scheduled to release in theaters on July 30, 2025.
