WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Marvel's Black Panther, in theaters now.
Already an astounding critical success, Black Panther is also expected to become a massive commercial for Marvel Studios, potentially raking in north of $180 million over its U.S. opening weekend. Considering that positive reaction to the film, it seems pretty likely a sequel is in the future, with studio President Kevin Feige already saying he'd love for director Ryan Coogler to return for a follow-up.
So now the question is simple: What will the sequel bring?
An Invasion Is Coming
The most important scene for understanding the future of the budding franchise probably comes during the mid-credits, when King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) reveals Wakanda's technology and power to the rest of the world. The decision is risky, and characters insist throughout the movie that exposing the truth about Wakanda might open the previously isolated African nation to the threat of invasion. The choice is reminiscent of the one that Tony Stark makes at the end of Iron Man, when he publicly reveals his identity. Subsequent Iron Man films explored the dangers villains pose to Tony's personal life, so it's possible Marvel may utilize some of that formula in a Black Panther sequel.
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The most obvious threat comes from the outside, and the next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War, is likely to play a big role in determining Wakanda's future. Promotional materials have already made it clear that a major confrontation with Thanos' forces is going to take place in the nation. Although there's no telling what Avengers 4 will bring, Thanos' invasion itself is certainly going to do some major damage to Wakanda, likely leaving it less able to defend itself. It's possible that some foreign power may attempt to take advantage of the situation and go after Wakanda's stores of Vibranium.
There May Be Another Internal Threat
Even if no external threat materializes, T'Challa's rule still isn't safe from insurrection. There are likely many people in Wakanda who are unhappy that the once-isolated nation has stepped onto the world stage. Depending on the damage that Thanos does in Infinity War, Wakandans might come to blame T'Challa for the country's ills.
T'Challa may also be absent from Wakanda, which would only make the chances for rebellion even greater. Throughout Black Panther, characters remark that T'Challa and Nakia were, at one point, romantically involved. By the end of the film, it seems clear the two have rekindled that relationship. As Nakia will be involved in the outreach center that T'Challa is opening in Oakland, California, he's given a major motivation to travel to the United States for at least some portion of the sequel. His absence may fan the flames of insurrection and allow a new menace to emerge without T'Challa even knowing.
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An internal threat could potentially lead to an adaptation of "A Nation Under Our Feet," the first arc of writer Ta-Nehisi Coates' current run on Marvel's Black Panther comic, which would also fit pretty well with the Wakanda established in the film. A major part of Coates' tenture includes the establishment of a new Wakandan constitution and the formation of democracy. With the destruction of the Heart-Shaped Herb by Killmonger, the future of the nation's leadership is already under threat, so pulling from Coates' stories may provide a framework for stabilizing the Wakanda for the long term, which would certainly be a fruitful subject for the sequel to explore.
Although Marvel Studios hasn't yet announced a Black Panther sequel, it's very likely that one is coming. The state of Wakanda after Infinity War will be critical to finding out what threat -- internal or external -- the hero next will face.
In theaters now, director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Forest Whitaker as Zuri.