MCU die-hards were bewildered by a fan question regarding criticism of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 2l4u6l

The discussion unfolded on the r/MarvelStudios subreddit, where a fan voiced dismay about the criticism of the film regarding its portrayal of King T’Challa’s demise and the gender of his successor.

The unexpected ing of Chadwick Boseman presented unprecedented hurdles for crafting a sequel to the iconic Black Panther film. Yet, under the guidance of filmmaker Ryan Coogler, the collective efforts of the production team, cast, and crew irably rose to the challenge, resulting in the poignant creation of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The movie deftly navigates the delicate balance of honoring Boseman’s memory, guiding viewers through the grieving process, and driving the narrative of Wakanda forward with remarkable finesse.

Incredibly, other community seemed oblivious to phenomena like the #RecastTchalla movement on social media.

Director Ryan Coogler courageously stood by his creative vision for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever despite growing demands for another actor to play the role of the fallen monarch. However, some fans in the Marvel Studios subreddit had some awareness of the conflict and dismissed the #RecastTchalla campaign as sour grapes.

Another Redditor recognized the emotional depth of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, acknowledging their mourning of Boseman’s ing while itting a preference for the sequel’s narrative over the original film.

So why do so fans appear unaware of the criticism directed at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever within some online communities? In reality, the majority of viewers loved the movie. It garnered a commendable 83% critic score and a near-perfect 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The audience’s reception of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever underscores the adage that empty barrels make the most noise.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is streaming on Disney Plus.

Are you one of the people who thought Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was missing a gay kiss? Well, you’re very perceptive because there was one in the original script, but it was ultimately removed from the film.

Deadline recently published the full script, which was called by its working title at the time: Summer Break. The kiss would’ve been between Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and Aneka (Michaela Coel). In the script, Ayo offers to reconcile with Aneka and reinstate her to her former Dora Milaje position, and then the two share a kiss.

In the final version of the movie, the two still have a relationship, but Aneka kisses Ayo on the forehead instead of the lips. Even that was edited out of certain international versions of the film to comply with local censorship laws.

Marvel has been dipping its toes into the world of introducing gay characters in its properties, with most relationships being implied over being explicitly revealed. There are some exceptions. The first openly gay superhero in a Marvel movie was Phastos from Eternals.

In a deleted scene in Thor: Ragnarok, we find out that Valkyrie had a girlfriend at some point, which is confirmed in Love and Thunder. Interestingly, another scene featuring Ayo being attracted to a woman was cut from the first film, according to IndieWire.

There was a scene where Ayo flirted with a female general played by Danai Gurira that ultimately didn’t make it into the film.

“If the makers would have wanted everyone to see the scene, it would have been in the movie,” she said. “What their reason is, I can’t tell you, because nobody told me about whether [that scene is] in or not.”

Ayo has a queer storyline in the comics, one of which was written by Roxane Gay.

“It was particularly thrilling to be able to write black queer women into the Marvel universe,” Gay said in an interview The Advocate. “I’m proud of the work I did and love hearing from black queer women about what the comics mean to them.”

Actor Winston Duke’s playful response to a risqué news headline about his physical attributes is making waves on social media.

A tweet from Bossip audaciously salivated over the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star’s powerful thighs, describing them as “man yams.”

Duke took the libidinous fervor over his leg muscles in stride, tweeting, “Wow, Bossip! Y’all went in…lol!” The tweet received over 21,000 likes.

A called Phebesboateng03 seemed taken aback by the headline, which they described as, “outrageously horny,” adding a flushed face and crying emojis for emphasis.

An enterprising fan of Duke’s thighs suggested that Bossip print the “M’Bussit For M’Baku” portion of the headline on merchandise, referring to the #BussIt challenge that went viral on TikTok earlier this year.

Porschemaecosplay commented on the unfiltered headline with a GIF of Manny from Modern Family getting chilled out by his stepdad with a blast of cold water.

Earlier this week, Duke revealed to Esquire that he’s well aware of the internet’s fondness for his thighs, and seems to enjoy it. Looking at a monochrome photo of himself in a pair of shorts sitting with his legs spread apart, the actor itted:

“I’ve been a little shameless this past year. I did not need to sit that way at all, but I did. I have no regrets.”

Duke acknowledged that he enjoys what he called the “respectful thirst tweets,” praising his thighs, christening them with the portmanteau “thweets.”

Some fans are focusing on the fact that Duke is easy on the easy with thick thighs, but his good looks are merely a spicy compliment to his scene-stealing acting skills. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Duke’s fourth turn as M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari Tribe. He has previously appeared in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

Legendary costume designer Ruth Carter used the solemn occasion of King T’Challa’s funeral to bring a spellbinding moment of African unity to life in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

According to The Wrap, Carter viewed the fallen king’s sendoff as an opportunity to honor the fallen monarch while glorifying his transition to the ancestral realm.

 “We wanted this scene to feel celebratory despite the sadness. For the Wakandans, this is a ceremony of T’Challa’s ascension.”

To achieve this, she dressed the film’s stars and hundreds of extras in immaculate white costumes that incorporated style elements from a variety African nations. In this way, Carter brought a multitude of African cultures together for the scene.

“When people watch the procession at home and are able to pause it, they will be able to see the different tribes of Africa coming together through the different costumes. You can see the Zulu, the Tuareg of Mali and all the areas of Africa together as a group.”

The sheer scope of the scene placed extraordinary demands on Carter’s meticulous attention to detail, from the regal attire of Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), to of the Wakandan government and the mourning garments worn by subjects of the kingdom.

“I’m running from person to person, wrapping turbans, adjusting outfits, making sure everything is in place. It makes it hard for me to watch a film the first time out because we are so intentional about how each person is represented, how each person celebrates their culture. It’s the grooming that makes the authenticity come alive because when clothes aren’t respected in the proper way, it takes away from the magic of learning about that person and their tribe and culture.”

So far, Black Panther has been the crowning achievement in Carter’s 30-year career. She has earned three Academy Award nominations, including one for Malcolm X and another for Amistad. However, it was the innovative Afrofuturism of her designs for Black Panther that saw her become the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

In addition to being a longtime collaborator of Spike Lee, and her work with Ryan Coogler and Steven Spielberg, Carter has also created costumes for Lee Daniels (The Butler), Ava DuVernay (Selma), and the late Jon Singleton (Shaft).

Carter’s work is integral to the visual conceptualization of Wakanda that has captured the imagination of so many MCU fans. The Black Panther sequel raked in an eye-popping $330 million through its opening weekend, blasting the previous record set by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, making it the highest-grossing November film release on record.

The Mouse House has proven time and again that they can play it a bit fast and loose when it comes to queer advocacy. When the community is on their side, the company is no less sluggish in embracing these progressive standards than all the rest of their competitors, but when it comes to international markets, the name of the game is profit, no matter how hard you’ve blown into the trumpets of diversity and representation.

The latest unfortunate example of this is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a movie already criticized for the tentative way in which it reaches toward that goalpost. It basically comes down to a barely discernible sequence involving Michaela Coel’s Aneka and Florence Kasumba’s Ayo, in which the former kisses her on the forehead.

But according to The Hollywood Reporter, even that shadow of an implication was enough to make trouble for Disney in international markets, particularly in the Middle East. In fact, the version of the movie that is playing in Kuwait has cut that scene in its entirety.

Of course, other scenes have been cut too, namely one that involves a woman giving birth to a child and saying something along the lines of, “A god to his people,” so the LGBTQ+ scene wasn’t the only instance to have raised the pitchforks.

Strangely enough, Kuwait is the only country to insist on these edits, with Wakanda Forever screening in places like Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain untouched. Perhaps the implication of the scene was too subtle for anyone to give themselves a headache over, especially since we’re talking about countries that crack down hard on any minute reference to the queer community. If only Disney had more backbone.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently playing in theaters around the world. You can read We Got This Covered’s review of the Phase Four sequel here.

Every Marvel fan is in agreement that the MCU’s Phase Four has hardly been the franchise’s most consistent era, but the phase’s final project might just be about to single-handedly rescue its reputation. All the signs are pointing to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being a hugely powerful and mind-blowing experience, one that will both expand the universe in exciting ways and pay homage to the much-missed Chadwick Boseman. All in all, it promises to be a movie event we’ll forever.

At least, that’s what this new promo (which you can catch above) tells us. With just 10 days to go until our new Black Panther roars into theaters, Marvel Studios has dropped this thrilling new teaser which squeezes a lot—although still not all—of the reasons why we’re so hyped for the sequel into just 30 seconds.

There’s the rise of Shuri (Letitia Wright), who everyone’s expecting to take on her late brother’s mantle. Not to mention more from the Dora Milaje, led by Okoye (Danai Gurira), and ed by new addition to the cast, Aneka (Michaela Coel). Then, of course, there’s Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the king of the underwater civilization Talocan, whose invasion of Wakanda looks to deliver some epic battle sequence between the two advanced kingdoms.

Not featured in the promo are Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, making her first appearance in the MCU since 2018’s Black Panther, and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who’s debuting in the franchise ahead of her very own Ironheart TV series coming to Disney Plus next year. Early reactions are mighty positive, but we’ll see how Wakanda Forever goes down with the world at large once Nov. 11 gets here.

The marketing for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hasn’t exactly painted Namor the Sub-Mariner as a hugely sympathetic character, with the trailers depicting him very much as a ruthless villain intent on invading the titular African nation. And yet now fans are finding him to be the most relatable character in the whole MCU after the unexpected origins of the underwater monarch’s name have been spelled out to us.

Although Namor’s forename doesn’t require any explanation in the comics, one clip from Black Panther 2 features Tenoch Huerta’s anti-hero declaring that he goes by many names, including Namor. Marvel Studios producer Victoria Alonso has now clarified that this alias comes from the epithet ““El niño sin amor,” which translates as “the boy without love.”

In the wake of this surprising revelation, the love-lorn population of Marvel Twitter is on the brink of an existential crisis as they realize they were Namor all along.

What is Namor if not love not persevering?

Did we just become best friends?

Meanwhile, some are volunteering themselves as tribute to make the guy’s nickname obsolete.

The new explanation behind Namor’s name is just one of the many alterations the MCU is making to the character, one of Marvel’s oldest creations dating back to 1939. Instead of ruling over Atlantis as he does in the comics, Namor comes from the kingdom of Talocan, pulled from Aztec mythology. That said, he still has his pointy ears and ankle-wings, not to mention the fact he remains a mutant.

Namor the loveless boy Sub-Mariner makes his mark on the Marvel universe when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on Nov. 11.

It’s a wrap! Well, it’s a wrap on the Black Panther spinoff series Ironheart, at least according to a tweet showing off some sweet party gifts indicating that the production has reached its conclusion.

What’s really interesting about the possible completion of the series is that its titular character is yet to have a proper MCU introduction. Ironheart is set to appear in Black Panther 2, but we don’t know how prominent her role is going to be.

However, it is evident that the character is set to play a significant role in the MCU going forward. After all, she has to be important enough or the studio wouldn’t have invested in a whole series for debuting Ironheart.

Ironheart will be played by Dominique Thorne in the series, who will be getting “the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to the show’s description.

The character first made waves back in 2016 in the comic book The Invincible Iron Man. Since then, she’s teamed up with Spider-Man, treated Tony Stark as a mentor, and has even gone toe to toe with Thanos. The real name of the superhero is Riri Williams, a 15-year-old prodigy at MIT who dared herself to build a suit similar to Iron Man’s. She eventually gets help from the man himself and creates one of the most technologically advanced suits ever.

In an interview with BFTV earlier this year, Thorne revealed she was always a Marvel fan.

“I think my mother might disown me if I didn’t. It’s very much a Marvel household. I did know about Ironheart before I was approached with the role. So it was an awe, inspiring moment to think that I would be chosen to portray this woman and to bring her to the screen in this way. So yeah.”

Ironheart hits Disney Plus sometime late next year. We’ll keep you posted when we hear an official release date, which will be hopefully announced soon.

Even though we know we’re already getting Namor the Sub-Mariner in the movie, greedy Marvel fans have got themselves convinced that another long-awaited monarch will make their MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The word on the street is that none other than Doctor Doom will turn up in the incoming sequel’s post-credits scene. But is there any truth to this? Well, here’s a reaction to those rumors straight from the panther’s mouth — the movie’s cast.

Letitia Wright (Shuri), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), and Danai Gurira (Okoye) were grilled on the couch of Jimmy Kimmel Live this week over all things Wakanda Forever. While throwing various rumors at them to get some kind of reaction, Kimmel quizzed them on whether Victor Von Doom really is about to appear in the film’s tag scene, joking that he’s heard Adam Sandler is going to play the Latverian king.

Gurira, in particular, had a hilarious reaction to Kimmel’s line of questioning, quipping: “You know, I want to see the movie you’ve been told about… We need to get this made. I hope the right people are watching.”

This interview makes clear that all three actresses graduated with flying colors from what Gurira labels as “Marvel media training,” as they manage to avoid either confirming or denying anything Kimmel put to them. Wright didn’t even address whether she is the next Black Panther or not, something the trailers have basically spelled out. So don’t expect these Wakandan warriors to pull a Tom Holland or Mark Ruffalo on this press tour.

Still, maybe Kimmel is on to something with Doom — about him being in the credits scene, not the Adam Sandler part. With fans getting antsy to receive some Fantastic Four casting news, meeting the MCU’s take on their eternal nemesis next month would go some way to calming them down.

We’ll find out whether Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will bring Doom to the franchise when it premieres on Nov. 11.

This week kicked off with some truly fandom-shaking news in the form of the first full trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which went ahead and finally gave us our first glimpse at the MCU’s new protector of Wakanda. Yes, just as most fan theories suggested, the much-missed King T’Challa’s genius sister Shuri was depicted in her own upgraded Black Panther suit in the trailer’s last moments. So, there we go, case closed, the mystery is solved… Or is it?

While it’s not outright specified this is Shuri underneath that suit, all the signs — including the character’s distinctive spotted costume patterning — are pointing in that direction. But just because we now know Shuri will take on the mantle of Black Panther at some point in the sequel, that doesn’t necessarily mean she is going to her older brother’s successor full-time. What if Marvel has heard fans’ cries for another character to take the role, and has listened? And they’re about to pull off a truly surprising — and devastating — twist.

It’s no secret that Wright is the subject of much controversy, with numerous rumors and reports pointing to her vocal anti-vaxx views causing problems during production, something which has considerably lessened the good will she won off the back of her turn in 2018’s Black Panther. So is Marvel really going to entrust this highly lucrative franchise in her hands indefinitely? It’s just possible that Wakanda Forever will write out the character of Shuri in such a way that would make every theater-goer’s jaw hit the floor.

Fans have long debated that Shuri, despite her technological whizzery, isn’t as capable in a fight as the other potential candidates for the Panther position. So what if that turns out to be the case and Shuri is tragically killed off at some point in the movie, during battle with Namor and the warriors of Talocan? Regardless of your feelings about Wright IRL, there’s no doubt this would be a heartbreaking way to write out a once-beloved character and establish a thrilling “all bets are off” principle for the heroes of the MCU going forward.

The rest of Black Panther 2 would then involve someone else having to take over from Shuri. The most obvious contender would have to be Michaela Coel’s Aneka, a character whose specific role in the feature has been suspiciously kept under wraps so far. Coel is a multi-award winning TV star who is clearly on the brink of a major Hollywood breakthrough, so it’s not crazy to imagine her assuming the reins of the BP franchise. But for this to happen, Marvel would first have to drop what would be one of its darkest developments ever and one that the fandom would no doubt discuss for years to come.

If you think there is no chance this is going to happen, may we direct your attentions to a particularly loaded line said by Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda in the original SDCC teaser, which has been curiously overlooked so far. “I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world,” she cries, in what promises to be an incredibly moving scene. “And my entire family is gone.” Obviously, Marvel is no stranger to creating moments specifically for the trailers to throw fans off the scent, but if taken at face value, this line heavily suggests that — although Wakanda may be forever — Shuri’s time as the Black Panther will be short-lived.

It’s a great time to be a Marvel Comics fans. With the range of characters getting their respective live-action adaptations, to varying degrees of success, it’s impossible not to be excited. One of the comics heroes that has been drawing the most attention is Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who will make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, before getting her own solo show on Disney Plus.

Actress Dominique Thorne has shared her thoughts with Entertainment Weekly on portraying the teenage superhero, who, despite only being created in 2016, has enjoyed massive popularity.

“I love the fact that she is just fully herself. She’s definitely not the typical or traditional superhero. She’s very much Riri Williams, the 19-year-old student first, and then there’s this whole Ironheart business that she has to figure out.”

In the comics, a fan of Iron Man and a Chicago native, Riri is a gifted engineering student who decides to create her own suit and become Iron Man after Tony Stark steps away from the role. Little is known so far about Riri’s MCU story, but she’s supposed to be an MIT student in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever who teams up with fellow teen genius, Shuri. Although the movie comes out before Disney Plus’ Ironheart, rumored plot details seem to indicate the show will act as a prequel for the character.

Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler is also a fan of the teenager, comparing Riri to Miles Morales in the way they have both revolutionized iconic mantles. “Having lived with these archetypical characters for so long, it’s always exciting seeing somebody come up and take on the moniker with a different background,” Coogler said.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters on Nov. 11. As for Ironheart, there is no official release date, but the show should debut on Disney Plus in the Fall of 2023.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Marvel’s highly anticipated return to the titular nation, and the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. Not only is the story introducing fans to a new villain, but it’s also the moment in which they’ll say goodbye to Chadwick Boseman as a hero both onscreen and off. 

One of the new stars brought in for the empowering storyline is Michaela Coel, who will storm our screens as Aneka. Coel spoke with Vogue about the experience of ing forces with our beloved characters in Wakanda, and the very real grief journey they were on as they came together to continue telling the emotional story. 

Boseman ed away after a lengthy cancer battle in 2020, and the war was a private one for the actor who didn’t let on to his personal struggles; instead, he took each day as it came and soaked in all of the beautiful moments he had with his loved ones. Some of them are the friends who became family in the Black Panther universe, with the cast forming a bond unlike anything they’d ever experienced, and losing Boseman left a life-altering mark on their hearts. 

Coel felt all of those emotions as she stepped into the sacred space, and she also felt a responsibility to tell the story in a way that would honor Boseman. 

“It felt like the entire cast was processing grief. There was a sense that we have to bring this baby home in the name of Chadwick. I thought to myself, I’m rolling up my sleeves and I’m getting in. I don’t need to be front and center, I’m here to .”

ing those who loved Boseman is exactly what the cast needed. Co-star Winston Duke would go on to say that Coel became part of the family, and her contributions to the story will be discovered by fans when Wakanda Forever hits theaters in November.

The journey back to Wakanda will be one of the most emotional in the MCU’s history, but we’d expect nothing less with a hero like Boseman. There will be tears, moments of heartache, and joy in continuing the story, one we know T’Challa will be an intricately woven part of. As the vulnerable King of Wakanda; there’s no way the story could be anything but an ode to the man he was.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on Nov. 11, and you’ll want to bring tissues for this otherworldly adventure.