Warning: If you haven't seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever yet, major spoilers follow from this point on.
Although the rumor mill did churn out a few other names early on, it soon became clear that T'Challa's little sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), was going to be the one to take up the mantle of Black Panther in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's passing.
We had previously been led to believe that the young scientist was always Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler's first choice, but it seems other options were considered.
While chatting to Marvel.com, Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore revealed that the "possibility of passing the mantle to one of the many other characters in the Black Panther world" was discussed - though Shuri always seemed like the most logical pick.
“[Shuri] just felt like the most organic storytelling choice,” he explains. “We had a performer that we knew could carry that if she agreed to do it. We didn't really explore other options that thoroughly because this just felt like the right thing to do. Letitia wanted and wants to do right by this franchise.”
“It’s hard to say it was obvious because Chad’s passing was so unexpected," adds Coogler. "But it was a choice that made a lot of sense. As we realized what the [theme] was and when you talk about T’Challa passing, who would be the most affected by that? It became clear that Shuri should be the nexus of our movie.”
Shuri is expected to remain The MCU's Black Panther for the foreseeable, but the sequel's mid-credits scene does lay the groundwork for someone else to take over a few years down the line (more here).
Have you been to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever yet? If so, be sure to let us know what you thought of the movie in the comments section (you can check out our review here).
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.