Shuri, aka the new Black Panther, actress Letitia Wright was recently asked about when we will see her character next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which she was obviously tight-lipped about. However, speaking to Inverse, she recalled a comic storyline and shared her thoughts on where Shuri could go next.
LETITIA WRIGHT SHARES HER IDEA ON WHAT COULD BE NEXT FOR SHURI IN THE MCU
There has been no announcement yet about a Black Panther threequel, and as Wright recently told ComicBook.com, she knows as much about Shuri’s fate as we do, stating, “No, I haven’t [heard from Marvel]. I will know as soon as you know.”
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To Inverse, she told the following about where she sees the character going next. Letitia Wright stated, “She actually takes on a new form in the future. She really never dies, which is really interesting. She has these amazing crazy superpowers, and she’s an encyclopedia of information. [At the end of Wakanda Forever] she’s Griot times a thousand.”
In that last quote, Shuri is referencing the storyline from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet in which Shuri sacrificed herself in a battle against Namor, with her soul being transported to the Djalia, the Plane of the Wakandan Memory, where she meets beings called griots, tasked with preserving Wakanda’s memory.Â
Of course, Shuri did not die at the end of Wakanda Forever and her soul did not go to the Djalia. However, she had a big arc in that film and is now more powerful than ever. She will, no doubt, be a key ally to the Avengers by the time Kang begins his Dynasty, both because of her mind and newly-acquired superpowers thanks to the synthetic heart-shaped herb.
WHERE COULD LETITIA WRIGHT’S SHUR SHOW UP NEXT?
There are two obvious answers here, and they both will probably be true. Given the setup in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it’s almost a given that Wright will at least make a cameo in the upcoming Ironheart series on Disney+. That show has a lot going on and many characters to handle, but a good way for both Riri and the audience not to feel lost in the mix of so many new faces would be to have Shuri by our side, serving as a mentor at the beginning of the series.
Whether or not that pans out, It’s quite obvious that Shuri will appear in at least one of the next two Avengers movies. Wakanda proved to be a key battleground against Thanos in Infinity War, so perhaps Kang will not be visiting it during The Kang Dynasty, but maybe Shuri can use her intellect to counter some of Kang’s 31st-century tech, or at least help out on that front. By that point, she must also be a skilled warrior, at least more than she was in Wakanda Forever, where her fighting abilities were lacking and the character was purely driven by rage.
However, before we get to Avengers 5, there is a lot to deal with in Wakanda. Shuri may be the new Black Panther, but the nation has a new king, and it would feel quite underwhelming to find out how the country has reacted to it through a quick scene in a big team-up movie. We must have some sort of Wakanda subplot before then in some other movie, or even a full Disney+ series like the widely-reported Midnight Angels spin-off. There was also speculation last year about the US getting ready to move against Wakanda in the MCU’s all-out international war. With Thunderbolt Ross as the President and Val as the CIA director, anything is possible at this point.
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Given how the schedule has lined up at the moment, it’s unlikely we’ll get a Black Panther 3 before The Kang Dynasty, but never say never. When asked during the promotional campaign for the second movie, producer Nate Moore revealed they had floated some ideas around for a potential third film, but director Ryan Coogler had not given it any real thought at the time after being completely exhausted from the Wakanda Forever process. So it looks like it’s still years away, but it will hopefully happen at some point.
Where do you think we’ll see Letitia Wright as Shuri next? Is it going to be Ironheart or do you think Marvel will wait until they are ready to film Black Panther 3? How do you think Wakanda will react to having M’Baku as the new King? Let us know your thoughts on our social media, and stay tuned for more Marvel news!
SOURCE: ComicBook.com, Inverse
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