6 Ways Wakanda Forever Sets Up Black Panther 3 (2024)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever perfectly sets the stage for Black Panther 3 in the MCU. The follow-up to 2018's Black Panther went through some dramatic changes in development after the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman, the MCU's Black Panther, eventually delivering a story that explored the Wakandans' grief at losing their King, losing their subsequent Queen, and seeing the new Black Panther rise as Shuri develops a synthetic heart-shaped herb. Rounding off the MCU's Phase 4, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a huge success, making the production of a third installment all but inevitable, though nothing has yet been officially confirmed.

Ryan Coogler has already confirmed that there are several ideas floating around for Black Panther 3, should it be announced by Marvel Studios. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever not only changed the landscape of Wakanda but also introduced new civilizations and characters, such as Namor, the leader of the underwater city of Talokan, who has also been confirmed to be a mutant in the MCU. Wakanda Forever brilliantly set up some epic adventures for the future of Wakanda and the MCU as a whole, which could see the introduction of some much-anticipated characters during Black Panther 3 and beyond.

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6 Shuri Will Return As Black Panther In Black Panther 3

One of the biggest plot points during Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was Shuri's attempts to create a synthetic heart-shaped herb, which would allow the Black Panther to return to Wakanda after T'Challa's death, and Killmonger's destruction of the heart-shaped herbs in Black Panther. While T'Challa's death at the beginning of Wakanda Forever made Shuri give up on her quest to create the herb, the death of her mother, Queen Ramonda, motivated her more than ever to finish her work and bring the Black Panther back to Wakanda. Using a vibranium gift from Namor, Shuri successfully develops her heart-shaped herb and uses it to become the new Black Panther.

Shuri is sure to return as the Black Panther in Black Panther 3 since she is now following in her brother's footsteps and taking her place as the protector of Wakanda. However, there is speculation that she won't stay in this role, especially since she didn't really want it anyway, simply using it during Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to become strong enough to defeat Namor and save her people. It's not clear who would take her place as the MCU's Black Panther should she give it up, but Black Panther 3 will surely see her donning the vibranium suit as the Black Panther, at least for a little while.

5 Prince T'Challa Can Have A Much Bigger Role In Black Panther 3

See Also

Black Panther 3: Everything we know about a potential third movieEnde & Post-Credit-Szene von "Wakanda Forever" erklärt: Wie geht es in "Black Panther 3" weiter?Black Panther 3: Everything We KnowMal so nebenbei: Schauspielerin bestätigt Black Panther 3 im MCU!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's post-credits scene provided a huge shock for MCU audiences, as it's revealed that T'Challa and Nakia had a son prior to Thanos' attack on Earth in Avengers: Infinity War, though the pair chose to raise the child in Haiti instead of Wakanda, away from the pressure of the throne. The fact that Prince T'Challa, whose Haitian name is Toussaint, debuted during Wakanda Forever means that T'Challa's, and by extension Boseman's, legacy can live on in the form of his son. Prince T'Challa is sure to appear in Black Panther 3 and could have an incredibly long and bright future in the MCU.

There has been speculation that Toussaint could appear in a future Young Avengers project, which has been teased throughout the MCU's Phase 4 with the introductions of other young superheroes. It could be that Toussaint takes over the role of Black Panther from Shuri during Black Panther 3, relieving her of the massive responsibility while continuing his father's legacy in the best way possible and fighting in his name. Prince T'Challa will be very important to the MCU going forward, but Black Panther 3 will almost certainly be where his character gets a huge amount of development.

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4 The MCU's Vibranium Arms Race Could Culminate In Black Panther 3

Introduced back during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' role as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU was kept a mystery until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, though it was confirmed that she had been recruiting antiheroes and reformed villains for the MCU's Thunderbolts team. Wakanda Forever revealed Val to be the new Director of the CIA, suggesting that she has far more power in the world of the MCU than anybody first realized, which makes the motivations of the MCU's Thunderbolts and her actions during Wakanda Forever much more sinister. This will certainly be a plot thread that Black Panther 3 will follow.

Vibranium has been a key element of the MCU since its beginning since it's the metal that forms Captain America's shield, but Black Panther and Wakanda Forever stressed the fact that many of the world's governments want to get their hands on vibranium for their own purposes. Wakanda Forever demonstrated how close the US government came to harnessing vibranium, as Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, designed a vibranium detector that almost alerted the government to the existence of Talokan beneath the ocean. Val has made it clear that the CIA wants vibranium, so this will surely come to a head in Black Panther 3.

3 Wakanda Forever's Midnight Angels Could Mean Doctor Doom In Black Panther 3

After failing to successfully retrieve Williams from the US and stop Shuri from being kidnaped by the Talokanil, Wakanda Forever sees Okoye stripped of her position as the head of Wakanda's Dora Milaje, seemingly leaving her without purpose in Wakanda. However, Okoye and newcomer Aneka join the final battle between the Wakandans and the Talokanil, donning Shuri's newly designed suits of armor, naming them the Midnight Angels. In Marvel Comics, the Midnight Angels are an elite faction of the Dora Milaje, stronger, faster, and more powerful than their sisters, so their debut in Wakanda Forever is incredibly exciting.

The Midnight Angels are formed in Marvel Comics to aid Deadpool in a fight against the supervillain, Doctor Doom. The fact that Okoye and Aneka have already taken their places as two of Wakanda's Midnight Angels could create the perfect opportunity to introduce Doctor Doom as the primary villain for Black Panther 3. The Midnight Angels' future in the MCU will be huge after their debut in Wakanda Forever. This story would certainly be in keeping with Coogler's big swings during the Black Panther films and would be a great payoff for many who wished to see Victor Von Doom introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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2 Wakanda Will Have A New Ruler In Black Panther 3

Wakanda has had a rough go of it for the past few years, losing their King, T'Chaka, during Captain America: Civil War, losing T'Challa at the beginning of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and seeing Queen Ramonda drown during Namor's attack on Wakanda. This would usually see Shuri, the Wakandan Princess, ascend to the throne, but while she was eager to don the Black Panther suit, she chose not to take the throne of Wakanda, instead allowing M'Baku to challenge for the Wakandan throne. This perhaps suggests that M'Baku will become King in Black Panther 3, but it might not be so easy.

While popularity for M'Baku has grown significantly since his introduction during a challenge against T'Challa in Black Panther, one other candidate for the throne might be an even more acceptable choice. A deleted scene for Wakanda Forever reveals that the leader of the Border Tribe had attempted to convince Okoye to challenge for the throne of Wakanda, which could perhaps open the door for the new Midnight Angel to become Queen during Black Panther 3. This would be the perfect progression for her character in the MCU, and it would be great to see Danai Gurira portray a powerful and charismatic Queen.

1 Namor's Prediction Could Come True In Black Panther 3

At the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Wakandans and the Talokanil entered into a cautious alliance, with Shuri besting Namor in a hand-to-hand battle, despite Namor being an incredibly powerful adversary. After the battle, Namor made a prediction that the surface world would soon turn against Wakanda, forcing the African nation to come to the Talokanil for help in defeating them, which would allow Namor to receive his wish of wiping out the surface world, which he hates so much. If the arms race for Wakanda's vibranium continues, this prediction could come true in Black Panther 3.

There's speculation that Val and the CIA will be forming the Thunderbolts in order to force their way into Wakanda and claim vibranium for themselves, particularly after Val's desire for vibranium was confirmed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This could lead to some massive battles in the MCU's future and could see the Black Panther and Namor come together and battle some established MCU heroes. Ryan Coogler has many avenues that he could follow with the story for Black Panther 3, helped by some emotional and intense storylines that have started to grow in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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