Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's script understandably went through significant changes after Chadwick Boseman passed away. While a few minor details have been revealed, we're unlikely to ever find out what Marvel Studios originally had planned for the sequel, with the story arcs of many characters almost certainly changing amid those rewrites.
Daniel Kaluuya was supposed to return as W'Kabi, but his commitment to Jordan Peele's Nope left the actor unable to shoot any sort of role in the movie.
In Black Panther, W'Kabi, who was married to Okoye, betrayed T'Challa and decided to align himself with Erik Killmonger. That decision would ultimately cost him everything, and the character actually received a mention in Wakanda Forever when Queen Ramonda pointed out to Okoye that, unlike her son, he's still alive and remains in exile.
Now, thanks to artist Niek Schlosser, we can see what W'Kabi would have looked like in the sequel. Clearly, he was going to be allowed to return to action in order to fight for his nation again, though we have to believe the fallen hero would have received the cold shoulder from the likes of M'Baku and Shuri.
Talking about Kaluuya's absence last year, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was asked about W'Kabi's status. "He's basically banished, but still within Wakanda’s borders, if that makes sense," the filmmaker noted. "It's one line that refers to him still being alive."
The actor, who has been tapped to lend his voice to Spider-Punk in this summer's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is bound to return to the MCU at some point. That could be in the long-rumoured Wakanda-set spin-off coming to Disney+ or in the eventual Black Panther 3.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still playing in theaters, and will premiere on Disney+ on February 1.