Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a powerful sequel that explores the fallout from T'Challa's MCU death in a meaningful and emotional way. Setting the stage for Shuri to inherit the mantle, the movie gives this franchise a fresh start and, as is so often the case with Marvel Studios, lays the groundwork for a lot of future stories.
Among them is Disney+'s Ironheart, a series that premieres on the streaming service next year. Dominique Thorne makes her debut as Riri Williams in the Black Panther sequel and first comes into the story after the C.I.A. uses a device she created to find Vibranium in the ocean.
We later learn that she came up with that in just a couple of weeks to prove one of her professors wrong, though how it fell into the wrong hands is left somewhat ambiguous. Unfortunately, the device just so happens to find Namor's home, Talokan, forcing him to return to the surface world and kill Riri to keep Talokan a secret.
Namor blames Wakanda for making their Vibranium known to the world, and demands they bring the teenager to him. Shuri and Okoye track Riri down at M.I.T and discover that she's been making her own Iron Man suit. After escaping the CIA (at the cost of a car that belonged to her father), Shuri and Riri are taken to Talokan, later escaping thanks to a timely intervention by Nakia.
Back in Wakanda, Queen Ramonda saves Riri's life when Namor attacks, albeit at the cost of her own. This inspires Riri to help Shuri defeat K'uk'ulkan, and she creates a new suit that ultimately plays a key role in defeating the Talokans.
At the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri tells Riri she can't let her leave Wakanda with that suit (presumably because it's made of Vibranium). The teenager understands, but is overjoyed when the new Black Panther reveals that she managed to retrieve the pieces of that car and rebuild it. The two have clearly struck up a friendship, and Riri returns to Boston.
That's where we leave her, and it's clear to see how this movie has laid the groundwork for her solo outing. Heading to Wakanda and seeing the sacrifice made by Queen Ramonda has inspired her to be a hero, while her exposure to the nation's mythology no doubt means she'll be well-prepared to battle a mystical baddie like The Hood. Interestingly, she's never referred to as "Ironheart," so we're assuming that mantle is one she'll get in her upcoming TV series.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters.