We all received a heavy dose of Black Panther in 2018, with his top notch solo movie in February and his feature appearance in Infinity War. Let's not forget his last minute inclusion in Avengers: Endgame from last year. However, it's going to be awhile before we see the King of Wakanda again; May of 2022 to be exact. So as far as I'm concerned, that just gives us plenty of time to speculate. Black Panther II has a lot to live up to from its predecessor, so let's see how they could get the job done.
First off, we as an audience have to be caught up with what Wakanda has been progressing since 2023 (when Endgame took place). Also, it has to catch us up on what Wakanda did in that five year time gap between Infinity War to Endgame.
Bottom line, it needs to show us how they've been interacting with the outside world. Do they still sell goods and provide medical and technological aide for others besides themselves? Most likely, they still do. Heck, they could be even at a point where they have tourists come in every now and then to explore Wakanda.
One way you can really hit this subplot home is by bringing in James Rhodes, otherwise known as War Machine. Remember him being paralyzed from the hip down in Civil War? Well, Wakanda definitely has the tech and brains to rehabilitate him back to his regular self, so he can walk on his own power. That could be a small, but touching moment to show that T'Challa meant his word. Also, more War Machine is never a bad thing.
What about villain wise? How in the world can you top Erik Killmonger? Well, you could go the super powered route by introducing Namor or Doctor Doom as Black Panther's next challenge. Although, even those are fine choices, sometimes less is more. So why not take a step back in the power department, and go for something smaller but just as threatening? Say... Achebe. This Black Panther villain is considered to be "T'Challa's Joker".
Crazy, manipulative, but very smart. He doesn't have any powers, but think of a mixture of Baron Zemo and Mysterio. That's the type of chaos Achebe could bring to T'Challa's pysche and country. And this is all from a dude who talks to his hand puppet like he's a real person.
Another direction Black Panther II could take is doing something interesting with Nakia. Lupita Nyong'o was great, but kind of underutilized in the first Black Panther. Maybe this time have her be the new Queen of Wakanda by marrying T'Challa. However, you could also take a more sinister route as well. In the comics, Nakia becomes a villain from being tortured by (guess who?) Achebe, and is transformed into Malice.
Imagine a battle between a king and his queen. That could stir up major conflict in the movie, as well as the heart strings depending on how it ends.
Which leads to my last point; the ending. The ending to Black Panther was solid, but somewhat hunky dory. As in everything went back to normal with barely any consequences. Nothing wrong with that, but make the ending for the sequel a tragic one. An ending that shakes you emotionally, rather than just "fixing" everything by the last scene. Could add some depth to this franchise.
Overall, Black Panther II should be a very good follow up to the first one. Lots of ways you can make this a worthy addition to the MCU, so I'm sure we're all excited for it.