Trouble is headed to Wakanda in Avengers: Black Panther's Quest. When the season picks up on September 23, the Shadow Council -- featuring villains like Killmonger, M’Baku, Klau and Madame Mask -- will threaten everything T'Challa has built. However, with a little help from the Avengers and his tech-savvy sister Shuri, the King of Wakanda will fight back for his kingdom and his people.

Speaking to CBR, Shuri voice actor Daisy Lightfoot offered some insight into the world of Wakanda. She teased Shuri's sibling rivalry with T'Challa, her role in the action and a battle scene in Atlantis. She also discussed how her version of the character will be different from the ones that have come before, why Shuri is a "beautiful game-changer," how recording as an ensemble enhanced her performance and more.

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CBR: Where do we find Shuri when Black Panther's Quest picks up?

Lightfoot: So Shuri is just stepping -- I mean, she's been a part of the kingdom for a while obviously, but she is really trying to prove herself in the beginning. So she's very excited about all of the missions that she can be part of, but there's reservations. T'Challa's trying to lead her in nice and slowly. [laughs] But she's definitely all gung-ho and she's ready to get into the mix with everything.

Tell me about Shuri's dynamic with T'Challa.

It's a lot of sibling back-and-forth, but out of complete love for each other. They have that sibling banter. Very confident in one another's ability, and they check each other. They very much so support one another in everything that they do, but they also challenge one another to be better.

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Where does Shuri fit into the world of Wakanda?

So she's Princess of Wakanda. She knows kind of the ins and outs of what's going on in the kingdom, and she's definitely doing some checks and balances for T'Challa and making sure he's doing what he's supposed to be doing as well. [laughs]

What can you tease about the Shadow Council, the threat Wakanda faces in Black Panther's Quest?

Throughout the season, they definitely challenge us consistently. That's really all I can say without giving too much away! But they are at every turn.

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As it turns out, this isn't the first time you've played Shuri! What separates this version from the one you played in the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes short?

So Shuri has all of the comedic fun stuff that we love, but in LEGO, she was very much so! Very played up and very... how should I word this? She was very comedic. She's a lot more comedic vs. the sibling banter that we have in Black Panther's Quest.

Speaking of Shuri in other media, she really became a fan-favorite character in last February's Black Panther film. How has that affected your approach to voicing her?

You know, I gained a lot of inspiration. We started recording before the film came out, so -- when I started -- I did my own character research and did what I could as far as developing the Shuri that I portray in the show, but I did gain a lot of inspiration from [Marvel] Cinematic Universe Shuri. It definitely gave me some inspiration.

Can you talk a little bit more about the research you did for the role?

I looked at some of the old Black Panther comics, as much as possible. I know that there was a newer version of the Black Panther  comics that came out, I think, while we were recording. So I definitely, while I was going through our character research during the show, I was definitely still developing and making sure that she was as thorough as possible.

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At Marvel Animation's SDCC panel, we got a glimpse of Shuri fighting back against Tiger Shark, so it looks like she gets in on the action a little bit. What was it like to portray that?

It's so much fun! There's so much fun stuff that we do with Shuri. We have her in such a multitude of areas and arenas and fighting against so many different people. So she's definitely right in the middle of all of the action this season. She definitely does not back away from a challenge; I can tell you that! She's definitely right in the midst.

Which character were you most excited for Shuri to interact with?

It would have to be Tiger Shark or Killmonger, just because they're such fun characters. They're so good at what they do. The voice actors are so amazing! You want Black Panther and Shuri to win against them, but they're such fun characters that you're like, "Man, they're actually kind of cool!" That banter back-and-forth between all of them is actually really great.

Did you have the opportunity to work with any of the other voice talent? What was that experience like?

Oh, definitely. We record as an ensemble. So whoever's in that episode, we're all in the studio at the same time. So it really helps to bounce energy off of one another and it really puts you in the middle of the scene. So having everyone there -- you know, say I have to fight Tiger Shark in the episode -- he would be a couple of mics down and I could look him in the eyes as he was Tiger Shark and I could really portray him as his character and really fight back. In all of the action scenes, he'd get right in the middle of it.

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Do you have a favorite moment or scene you could tease?

Definitely her in the jets and fixing up the jets and preparing for battle. I don't want to go too far into the scene, but we're about to fight some crazy villains. Oh, Tiger Shark! So in Atlantis, we're fighting some crazy villains and we're preparing the jets. So that's one of my favorite scenes. I can't say too much about it, but it's very comedic and very, very, very action-packed. We'll say that!

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What was it like to play such a tech-savvy character?

It was pretty awesome! It made me feel like a boss, honestly, because I'm not a huge tech-savvy person! [laughs] I get by. I do okay, but I really felt like -- with so many... It's interesting, because women in tech is such a powerful place to be. It's such a powerful position to be in, and so portraying that made me feel like maybe I could actually reinvent some things within myself and figure out some more tech abilities within myself. But I definitely felt pretty confident in my fictional abilities.

Representation is so important to today's media. What does it mean to you to play a character like Shuri?

I think, for any woman, Shuri shows the power of really stepping into our world. As women, we all have some regal air around us, but -- like I said -- she doesn't require approval or frills and the fact that she doesn't also require like a knight in shining armor to find out how special she really is is something that's so pivotal. She's really confident on her own and, you know, she has her brother there to back her up for everything. But I think, in general, the show is such a beautiful game-changer. People are excited to be who they are and to thrive in this world and I think representing a woman who's as confident and inspirational and sarcastic and so into who she is that she question it ever is such a powerful role to play.

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What is your favorite part of playing Shuri?

I love being able to portray her confidence and how she really does not shy away from a challenge and just how regal she is and that she doesn't ask for permission to be amazing and intelligent and she just walks into everything headfirst and cares about everyone but also makes sure the job gets done. So she doesn't neglect herself or her people in the kingdom. They all come first.

What would be your dream arc for Shuri?

I feel like it's hard to look forward because I'm so engrossed in what's happening now. I'm so honored that this storyline is even happening. Like I said, we're happy that we're doing the show because it changes the game, but we're also inspired to create more. Our writers are incredible. Wherever they put me next, I'm happy to be there! [laughs] But right now I'm just so -- this art? Where she is right now? I'm so pumped.

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Shuri actually becomes Black Panther in the comics. Is that something you'd be interested to play?

I would not mind! I would be super excited about that.

If you could play any other character in the Marvel Universe, who would it be?

I would say Ms. Marvel. She's pretty awesome. She is pretty awesome.


Airing Sundays on Disney XD, Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest stars James Mathis III as T'Challa/Black Panther, Daisy Lightfoot as Shuri, Scott Porter as Hunter/White Wolf, Keston John as Killmonger, Trevor Devall as Klaue, Wynn Everett as Madame Masque and Matt Mercer as Tiger Shark, Mark Hamill as Arnim Zola and Stan Lee in a currently unknown role.