Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an emotional movie that deals with the massive loss of T’Challa (and actor Chadwick Boseman) and the threat of Namor and his underwater forces. How does it all turn out? Well, spoilers are ahead.
Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follow!
Through a series of bad decisions made by grief and self-preservation, the kingdoms of Wakanda and Talokan have come into conflict. While having motivations that make sense, Namor takes actions that lead to the death of Queen Mother Ramonda. Shuri and her American bestie, Riri Williams, decide that their only hope is to work on recreating the Heart-Shaped Herb that grants the Black Panther their powers, which were destroyed in the previous movie. With the power of Black excellence, they accomplish it. Shuri drinks the herb and goes to the ancestral plane, and sees … Killmonger.
Her cousin feeds on Shuri’s rage about her mother’s death. Shuri decides that vengeance is her path. She puts on her Black Panther costume and unifies Wakanda in an offensive attack against Namor’s forces. She manages to lead Namor to a desert, and they fight until both are almost dead. Shuri has a chance to kill Namor but sees a vision of her mother and decides that this action will only harm both their people. Namor agrees to yield, and their forces cease fighting.
Riri can’t return home with her new Iron Man-Wakanda suit, but she gains a friend in Shuri, and her father’s car (which was damaged earlier in the film) is restored and returned. Okoye breaks Everett K. Ross out of captivity, after he was accused of treason for helping the Wakandans without telling his bosses—one of whom is his ex-wife, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The Wakanda white adoption program continues.
Back in his Kingdom, Namor tells his right-hand woman, Namora, that he may have yielded to Wakanda, but it was a tactical move. Wakanda has no allies in the surface world. The only kingdom that can help them is his own. So when the world strikes against Wakanda, Namor and his forces will be ready to take advantage of the retribution.
Finally, Shuri goes to Haiti to visit Nakia in her new home. Shuri goes to the beach and performs a funeral ritual her mother tried to show her earlier. She burns her funeral clothes and feels the presence of her brother beside her as she finally allows herself to grieve.
(featured image: Marvel)
