The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now in theaters.
Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever promised a ton of tear-jerking moments, and it certainly delivers. Off the cuff, the film wades into the death of King T'Challa from a mysterious illness, which plunges the African kingdom into despair. A year later, Shuri's unable to get over her brother's passing, while Queen Ramonda is cynical of incursions from other nations who want their vibranium.
To top it off, Namor tries to strong-arm Wakanda into an alliance, making it clear they need to strike first and cripple the surface world. It's part of his plan to protect his resources and people, but no matter what, Ramonda and Shuri won't sign off. Sadly, this leads to Namor killing Ramonda, and Shuri being forced to choose between her rage and destiny as the new protector in what turns out to be a powerful ending.
Black Panther 2 Crowns an Angry Queen
After Ramonda's death, Shuri uses her tech and the necklace she got from Namor to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb. She knows it was made from the elements of a vibranium-rich Mesoamerican colony, and along with King T'Challa's DNA, she gets the power to become a new Panther. Sadly, as she imbibes the purple liquid and visits the Ancestral Plane, she finds Killmonger, who makes it clear that only by giving in to her vengeance can she become strong enough.
This connects to her anger over losing so many loved ones over the years and, now, literally being the last royal left in her family. Shuri eventually flexes her political power when she leaves the mystical plane and gets her battalion to lure Namor's forces out to the Atlantic Sea. But rather than find a peaceful solution, Shuri's intent on taking Namor's head. She doesn't care about honor or nobility, affirming how Killmonger's words have sunk into her.
Black Panther 2 Creates a Brutal Aquatic War
Thanks to a vibranium-seeking machine, Shuri baits the Talokan army, who have no idea they're walking into an ambush. The ocean generals in Attuma and Namora are quite formidable, though, pushing the Dora Milaje and M'Baku's Jabari tribe to their limits. Shuri, rocking her black and gold Panther costume, engages Namor, while Riri, in her Ironheart armor, takes to the skies, blasting Namor's soldiers away.
It's quite a cinematic spectacle, but the Talokans have way too much firepower, as well as numbers. Even Nakia and Okoye (in her Midnight Angel suit) can't even the odds. Still, Shuri harbors hope once she slaughters Namor, the sea legion will give up. It's why she traps him in her warship, using an evaporating system to dry him out. This succeeds, as he becomes vulnerable, losing his strength and indestructible skin, but he improvizes, driving his vibranium spear into the base, blowing the vessel apart.
Black Panther 2 Finally Shows a Sympathetic Shuri
Luckily, the blast throws them onto a desert island, where a bloody brawl ensues. Shuri deploys her claws to cut Namor up while relying on her kinetic shockwaves to batter him. However, Namor's the better warrior, eventually impaling her with his spear before stumbling off to the ocean to re-energize.
Shuri remembers her pain, though, and stops him by blowing her ship up and roasting the Sub-Mariner. It doesn't kill him, but it's enough to put him down, so she can murder him with the spear. Luckily, Shuri remembers how tragedy shaped them both, especially as Namor lost his own mother and, honestly, how all he wants is to keep his tribe safe. She makes him yield, promising Wakanda will help protect Talokan should the surface ever try to invade. They then return to their armies, call a truce and head home.
Black Panther 2 Foreshadows Namor's Ulterior Motives
Many threads are wrapped up in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's finale, beginning with Namora questioning her cousin's decision. However, as he nurses his wounds, including his damaged ankle feathers, the centuries-old Namor makes it clear -- it's strategy. As powerful as he is, he needed to survive, and Talokan needed a partner; so once the surface goes after Wakanda, they'll call them up, and Namor will finally get an excuse to destroy the land-dwellers. It's a sinister tactic, but one that connects to the egoistical, manipulative Atlantean regent from Marvel Comics.
Black Panther 2 Gives Riri and Everett Ross New Beginnings
Riri heads back to M.I.T., with a grateful Shuri restoring her dead dad's car -- one they used to evade the CIA in Boston. Shuri admits she can't let her leave with the Ironheart suit as it's a weapon of mass destruction, but this should even them off. It means a lot to Riri, as she's got so much sentimental attachment to it. This promises an endearing sisterhood, especially as Ramonda saved Riri earlier on, before dying in Namor's assault.
As for Ross, well, his ex-wife and new CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, has him arrested for treasonous collusion and supplying Wakanda intel. But Okoye, in her Midnight Angel armor, busts him out as he's driven to prison. She jokes how it's fun seeing the "colonizer in chains" now, suggesting they'll become partners in the future.
Black Panther 2 Teases a New, Unpredictable Wakanda
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's finale pulls a fast one, with M'Baku jumping out of a warship at the ritualistic waterfall to see who'll become Wakanda's new protector. It seems Shuri has no time for this aspect of tradition because while she respects heritage and legacy, she thinks it's time to evolve -- as seen when she 3-D printed the herb. Admittedly, it's not known who challenges M'Baku, which foreshadows he might become a protector or even another Panther down the line.
As for Shuri, she goes to Haiti, where Nakia was for the last six years. She's there to mourn her brother, burn her funeral garb and also let go of the pain of her mother's passing. It's uncertain what Shuri plans for the Panther mantle and the throne, but all that matters now is family. Shuri decides to undergo the rite alone by the ocean, crying as a montage of her iconic moments with T'Challa unfolds. Ultimately, this epilogue is the perfect eulogy for viewers to say goodbye to King T'Challa and Chadwick Boseman after his untimely death.
See how Shuri triumphs over her grief and demons in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now in theaters.