Once an extremely secretive project, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's veil of mystery is lifting as its November 2022 release date approaches. Marvel Studios unveiled the film's first trailer at SDCC, providing a first official look at Namor and the new Black Panther. One of the trailer's most noteworthy aspects was its tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa in various MCU installments, including his standalone film in 2018.
The actor's death will be incorporated into the film, and the trailer teased how T'Challa's passing would affect his loved ones, specifically his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), who was extremely close to the hero. Recently, Wright provided some insight into how her character will deal with her loss in Wakanda Forever.
Speaking with Black Girl Nerds at San Diego Comic-Con, the actress stated:
"Shuri definitely is consumed with her work. The loss of her brother causes her to be so consumed with her work that she's creating at another level, at a higher level, actually. So, there's so much new technology to look forward to, and I think that's where her sweet spot is at the moment. Like, 'How do I process this?' And she just throws all of her energy — even more so — into technology. So, there's a lot of cool new things to look out for."
Being the one in charge of developing Wakanda's technology, it makes sense for Shuri to dive into her work to cope with her grief. Wakanda is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and Black Panther showed off several fascinating inventions — all of them from Shuri.
As such, the idea of her creating at "a higher level" presents many exciting possibilities for the kind of innovative technology Wakanda Forever could introduce. The fact that this new tech will be largely motivated by Shuri's grief could also provide an added element of emotional resonance to the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel.
Regarding the wider MCU, Wright's comments also carry an interesting (possible) implication for Ironheart, the upcoming series premiering on Disney+ in 2023. After a lot of speculation regarding Riri Williams's (Dominique Thorne) role in Wakanda Forever, the film's trailer showed the young superhero in Shur's lab. Given that Shuri will be devoted to her work, it's possible she will come up with some technology for Williams.
Merchandise from the movie showed Riri in a makeshift armor, much more rudimentary than the suit she wears in the comics, which means she will likely receive an upgrade at some point in the future. While it remains to be seen whether said upgrade will come in Wakanda Forever or Ironheart, Wright's comments may point to the possibility of Shuri giving Williams a helping hand with her tech.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in theaters on November 11, 2022.