This article is part of a directory: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Guide - News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories and Rumors
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The following article contains major spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now in theaters.

Fans finally know the confirmed identity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new Black Panther.

Following the tragic passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman in 2020, a major question circling the film's sequel was who would be the next actor to pick up the claws and don the hero's Vibranium suit. Marvel Studios decided against recasting Boseman as T'Challa for Wakanda Forever, a part he played across Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). With the theatrical release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the mantle has officially been passed to T'Challa's sister, Shuri, portrayed by actor Leitita Wright in the MCU.

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Black Panther Wakanda Forever New Suit Shuri MCU

In Wakanda Forever, Shuri goes from believing that there will never be another Black Panther following her brother's death, to becoming the hero herself. The powers of the Black Panther are granted to someone who ingests the Vibranium-grown "Heart-Shaped Herb," gifting them with superhuman strength, agility and other abilities. Because the villain Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) burned all the Heart-Shaped Herbs in Wakanda during Black Panther, Wakanda Forever opens with Shuri rushing to develop a synthetic version of the herb and save her brother from a mysterious illness, but she ultimately fails.

Shuri Becomes the New Black Panther Thanks to Her Enemy

After T'Challa dies, Shuri abandons her attempts to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb. However, in the wake of Queen Ramonda's (Angela Bassett) murder carried out by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), Shuri once again works to synthesize the plant, using the Vibranium-sourced fibers of a bracelet from Namor to successfully do so. She ingests the herb, visits the Ancestral Plane, gains the Black Panther's abilities and then appears before the people of Wakanda in a new Vibranium suit, later leading them to war against Namor and his kingdom, Talokan.

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Ahead of Wakanda Forever's release, many theories and rumors made their rounds on the Internet regarding who the next Black Panther would be. Shuri was on a list of candidates in fans' minds, with others being Ramonda, the Jabari leader M'Baku (Winston Duke) and even a resurrected Killmonger, despite the villain's visible death in Black Panther and request that his body be buried at sea. Less than two months before Wakanda Forever hit theaters though, a LEGO set designed off the movie spoiled that Shuri would be Wakanda's next protector.

As of writing, no plans have been announced by Marvel Studios regarding where Wright's Black Panther will go in the future of the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing exclusively in theaters.

Source: Marvel