In the week since its release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has grossed over $400 million at the box office and earned widespread critical acclaim. Its success is no surprise—the film is a sweeping epic that delves deeply into grief and comes out the other side, introducing several new characters and continuing the arcs of heroes we’ve come to know and love.
The characters, settings, and high emotional stakes have already inspired countless works of fan art. Now, Marvel UK and Ireland have partnered with Dope Black Art, a London-based organization that promotes Black artists, to create a series of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever posters.
All the posters are great, but my personal favorite is this one by Taj Francis, which shows Shuri falling into the ocean. On the surface, we see Wakanda, and mirrored in the water is Talokan with Namor in his regalia. The piece evokes the tension between Shuri and Namor that drives much of the movie’s plot, with Namor’s offer of an alliance crumbling into all-out war between the two nations.
“This franchise means a lot to me and to many others out there,” Taj Francis says in the Instagram caption accompanying the work. “It’s resonated deeply with a lot of people far beyond being a movie and for many reasons.”
Marvel also commissioned work from Baro Sarré. According to Marvel, Shuri, Okoye, and M’Baku are wearing designs inspired by the mosaics of the Ndebele women of South Africa.
In his artist statement, Sarre says, “It is with great pride I present to you the portrait made for the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! Thanks to Dope Black Art for this wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Disney. I hope I lived up to this powerful new film.“
This poster, by Chuck Styles, showcases Dominique Thorne as MCU newcomer Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart.
The last poster in the series isn’t embeddable on its own, but it’s just as beautiful as the others. Created by Olivia Odiwe, who goes by the Instagram handle @illestration, it shows Shuri and Namor facing off in a montage of the movie’s other characters. You can see it in the bottom left corner of the tweet below.
Here’s to plenty more indie and fan art for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)
