Lupita Nyong'o or Letitia Wright: Who is the new Black Panther in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'?

Or is there is a third mystery star who may take the mantle of the Black Panther?
UPDATED JUL 24, 2022
Lupita Nyong'O and Letitia Wright in a still from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (Marvel Studios)
Lupita Nyong'O and Letitia Wright in a still from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (Marvel Studios)

The trailer of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' left the attendees at the SDCC 2022 spellbound. While providing a heartfelt tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, the trailers also gave a glimpse of who would don the iconic suit next. The storyline already established the conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, the underwater kingdom. With the greatest champion now dead, it remains to be seen whether director Ryan Coogler will find a character to wear the suit and be Wakanda's protector.

The clip ends with a teasing shot of someone wearing the Black Panther suit, and the current theory is that Letitia Wright's Shuri will step in to don the suit becoming the first female Black Panther. This will certainly match with the comic storyline of Shuri succeeding T'Challa (Boseman). However, there is also the outside chance that Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia may perhaps take the mantle. She's part of the sequel and has already proved her heroism and heart in the 'Black Panther'. It might be a twist that fans may have seen coming a mile away, but it does come off as one of the more logical moves.

RELATED ARTICLES

Marvel introduces Phase 5 and teases Phase 6 at SDCC 2022, here's a look at the ALL the MCU content coming your way

Will Ryan Gosling play Ghost Rider in the MCU? 'The Gray Man' star has Kevin Feige's vote

Per a comicbook theory, the first shot in the trailer of Nakia staring at the vast expanse of the ocean gives away the ending, although Marvel has always ensured that the footage shown is always within the first 15 minutes of the movie. While both Shuri and Nakia are deserving of the mantle, Coogler might just have another trick up his sleeve. There's also that off chance that there might be a surprise character becoming Black Panther.

Talking about the movie, “We put our love for Chadwick into this film. We also put our passion," said director Coogler. "This film has a ton of action and humor. It’s also a roller coaster of a movie. It goes to new places in Wakanda that we’ve never been before but other corners of the MCU.” Also adding to the excitement was Nyong'o who said, "The universe of Wakanda is expanding and you have a lot to look forward to."

The flick will also see the return of Martin Freeman as Everett K Ross, a CIA agent with close ties to Wakanda. Wakanda Forever newcomers include Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel ('I May Destroy You'), and Tenoch Huerta ('Narcos: Mexico'). Other familiar faces are Angela Bassett, Wright, Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, and Winston Duke.

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' hits theaters on November 11, 2022.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

The new ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ trailer revealed who would voice Mario’s loyal dinosaur companion, Yoshi
2 hours ago
Noah Centineo will step into an iconic role in the upcoming film, which will explore the titular character's origin story from the Vietnam War
3 hours ago
After plenty of delays, Guy Ritchie's 'In The Grey' now has a release date and it's sooner than you think.
16 hours ago
Although Jennifer Runyon mostly played supporting roles, she left a mark with some iconic films, including 'Ghostbusters' and 'The In Crowd.'
18 hours ago
Pixar's 'Incredibles 3' now has a new release window after languishing in the development phase for 24 years
2 days ago
The news comes on the back of industry insiders affirming that the third movie of the iconic and 'Monsters Inc.' franchise is now a reality
2 days ago
The film marks a genre switch for Chris Pine, who was last seen in 'Carouse', a romance drama where he stars alongside Jenny Slate
2 days ago
Alan Ritchson’s sci-fi action film ‘War Machine’ is now streaming on Netflix, and its ending leaves the door open for more.
2 days ago
Tommy Shelby returns from exile as war brews in ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’, which hits theaters briefly before its Netflix debut.
3 days ago
Steven Knight shares the key ‘Peaky Blinders’ episodes fans should revisit before the new film hits theaters on March 6
4 days ago