The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now in theaters.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Science Bros. The original Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, both released in 2008, recounted a pair of geniuses and the results of their endeavors. Tony Stark became Iron Man and launched a new era of superheroes (after a few false starts), while Bruce Banner grappled with the Frankenstein-esque fallout of gamma research gone wrong. Both shaped the MCU in countless ways and became the resident "big brains" for the franchise's first three phases. It's even earned them the informal moniker "Science Bros."
But that was then, and this is now. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever establishes a new science duo that looks to put their elders to shame. Shuri has always been the real genius of the MCU, and Wakanda Forever reveals just how skillful she has become. She's joined by Riri Williams, one of the de facto heirs to Iron Man's legacy. Together, they set a much higher bar than the Science Bros could.
Riri Williams & Shuri Are the MCU's New Scientific Team
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Though she wasn't introduced until Phase Three, Shuri was always the franchise's forgotten big brain: a prodigy like Tony and Bruce, only armed with technology and resources centuries ahead of them. With Wakanda hidden for so long, no one knew about her until shortly before the Snap, and even then, her youth might easily lead others to overlook her. But she was already breaking boundaries that the Science Bros couldn't dream of, and providing Black Panther with his suit was only the beginning. Wakanda Forever finds her in top form: not only in her attempts to defend Wakanda against the threat of Namor but in successfully reproducing the heart-shaped herb that gives her the powers of Black Panther.
Shuri's joined by Riri, making her MCU debut in anticipation of future efforts like Ironheart and Armor Wars. She's studying at Tony's alma mater of MIT and -- as the film puts it -- "running circles around her professors." Her efforts include a new version of Tony's armor that she built from scratch and a vibranium detector that earns her a death sentence from Namor. The Wakandans eventually get her to their country, where she and Shuri team up to devise a means of stopping Namor despite his kingdom's strong technological advantage.
How Black Panther 2's Duo Outdoes the MCU's Science Bros
Their team-up succeeds far more often and with fewer hiccups than similar efforts from the Science Bros. The pair work in conjunction readily and put their heads together with minimum friction. Their weapons are battle-tested under the most brutal conditions and emerge with flying colors, and their plan to defeat Namor comes off exceptionally well considering the circumstances. It leaves a lot of potential for their future partnership, and with Riri more or less having access to Wakanda's labs, she's apt to accomplish more than Tony could ever hope for in subsequent chapters. And Shuri is already in a class by herself.
The Science Bros, on the other hand, succumb to the foibles of trial and error much more often. While their triumphs are palpable -- including Tony cracking time travel and Bruce figuring out how to keep his personality intact in the Hulk's body -- they're also marked by some glaring shortcomings. For instance, Bruce's efforts to duplicate time travel are less than effective, while Tony's chest implant almost poisons him in Iron Man 2 and causes an armor malfunction in Iron Man 3. That all comes on top of the real elephant in the room: Ultron, Tony's monster, who came within a hair's breadth of wiping out all life on Earth.
That isn't to say Shuri and Williams won't have a Frankenstein moment of their own in the future, especially if threats like Talokan push them to make reckless choices. But they're already ahead of the game as far as their predecessors go, both in their early successes and ability to team up more readily. Tony and Bruce were some of the earliest heroes in the MCU, but it's inevitable that subsequent generations will surpass what they accomplished. With its new science team-up, Wakanda Forever announces that the future is here.
To see the MCU's newest scientific duo, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters.