Official "Wakanda Forever" movie art. Courtesy of Marvel.
Since the tragic, untimely death of lead “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman in 2020, people have been wondering how Marvel and writer/producer Ryan Coogler would reframe “Wakanda Forever” — the sequel to the history-making movie.
Now there are claims the general plot and significant spoilers have leaked online. Before you read any further, please note that there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this article if the alleged leak is authentic.
Here are five things to know about the alleged Wakanda Forever plot leak.
Last week, Reddit user MajorDaNoob posted an alleged plot leak he said came from film insider Daniel Richtman, known on social media as DanielRPK.
According to the post, T’Challa has died from an unspecified sickness before the events of the sequel occur. While Marvel has always said Boseman would not be recast, many are not happy with the move, stating they believe it does the opposite of honoring Boseman’s legacy by terminating one of the MCUs most iconic Black characters.
“Nothing says ‘honoring Chadwick Boseman’ like killing off the character he poured his heart and soul into. I sincerely hope this isn’t real lol,” Reddit user iM_Vuze responded.
“What I think they should have done is honor chadwick in this movie and then come out and say they will recast black panther,” user jonsnowKITN commented. “I was always surprised with the decision they made about not recasting so quickly after his death because they clearly didn’t think about the longterm effect of not having anymore bp stories on the screen. The character is always bigger than the actor.”
“Instead, they immediately came out saying they weren’t going to recast him, which is ultimately a huge mistake given how big a character like T’Challa is within the MCU,” olgil75 wrote. “So many other options, but instead they opted to dig their heels in on not recasting, even though it shouldn’t have even been discussed at the time. He hasn’t even been dead two years and we’re getting the movie in a few months, which sounds super rushed and cobbled together from everything we’ve heard from leaks and rumors. What a terrible way to honor his legacy.”
“And then stating that was sickness, no specifying what sickness or anything. I understand Killing him off but not even giving him a heroic death just a ‘yeh he dead now’ kind of death is disrespectful. I swear if it’s going be cancer…,” @Mystic__Mayhem wrote.
“I hate every part of this. I hate that T’Challa just… dies of sickness… FRIGGIN RECAST HIM. He’s too important of a character to just be rid of…,” MimsyIsGianna wrote.
“They had no problem recasting Peter Parker 3 time. The best way to honor Chadwick would be to recast so the legacy lives on. The character shouldn’t die with him,” @McNuggetsauce69 said.
“Friendly reminder that Nate Moore said that it felt “cathartic” to have T’Challa die offscreen in this movie. Because f**k all the kids who look up to the character for escapism in the mess that is the world right now,” Pomojema_The_Dreamer chimed in.”
Boseman’s brother Derrick also told TMZ he believed his late brother would have wanted T’Challa to be recast because he understood “T’Challa was bigger than just himself as one guy,” TMZ reported. “Frankly, Derrick says Chadwick knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries,” TMZ’s report continued.
According to the alleged leak, the movie will introduce Riri Williams aka Ironheart, a genius MIT student smarter than Tony Stark. Dominique Thorne will play the character as a setup for Disney’s upcoming “Ironheart” show.
Namor and Atlantis come into play after a scientist, played by Lake Bell, and her team awakens Namor while searching the ocean for vibranium, the leak says.
The infamous villain wants to kill Ironheart, but Wakanda protects the budding hero and war breaks out between the African nation and Atlantis.
If the reports are true, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, will become the next Black Panther after she and T’Challa’s mom is killed during the war with Atlantis.
She uses her genius to create an artificial heart-shaped herb to visit the ancestral plane to see her brother but instead finds Killmonger, who helps her become the next Black Panther.
Shuri then creates her own Black Panther suit and defeats Namor.
One Reddit user questioned the authenticity of the claim. “Yeah I don’t know if I buy this. Killmonger showing up sounded cool to me. I don’t know how it would fit with his character though, why would he have any desire to help her?” OfCoursesruoCfO wrote.
The leaked synopsis says Nakia tells Shuri she has a son from T’Challa at the end of Wakanda Forever. Some online viewed this as a way to eventually return the Black Panther mantle to a male lead.
“Yeah that was leaked a while back. Most likely the future black panther,” @LatterTarget7 wrote.
According to the leak, M’Baku will become the new king of Wakanda and Shuri will remain the Black Panther.
There were reports M’Baku would assume the Black Panther mantle, which typically goes to the king of the nation, but the most recent leak says differently.
None of this information has been confirmed by Marvel or Coogler. However, some have encouraged fans to trust Coogler because they believe he knows what he’s doing.
“Yeh, I wouldn’t bet against Ryan Coogler at this point. He’s an incredible filmmaker and he knows how important movie is after Chadwick’s passing. No way they fuck this one up,” CollarOrdinary wrote.
“Really wish they recasted T’Challa, but I have faith in Coogler,” Bergyyyyy37 agreed.
