“Wakanda Forever”: Carrying on Legacy

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" successfully ends the MCU's Phase 4.

Nov. 11 marked the official theatrical release of Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 film "Black Panther." The film picks-up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” with the leaders of Wakanda fighting to protect their home from outside nations trying to steal their resources after the death of King T'Challa. The titular character was played by Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August 2020. Returning cast members include Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, and newcomer Dominique Thorne as Iron Heart.

In his 2018 interview with Variety magazine after the record breaking box office release of the first Black Panther film, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige hinted at sequels, saying there were many more stories to tell about the T'Challa character. He said Black Panther co-writer and director Ryan Coogler would return to direct any future sequels, and Boseman would return as T'Challa.

Boseman embodied the role in a way that had a deep impact on cultural and racial representation. It was a source of pride and accomplishment to have a Black superhero as the lead in a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film. A role model exemplifying integrity, eloquence, fairness and justice, qualities that cross the racial divide in real-life but are not always represented in films.

Actresses dressed as Dora Milaje, the bodyguards of the Black Panther, at the premiere of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on Oct. 26, 2022 (Josh Hogan | The Corsair)

Boseman and his T'Challa character were beloved by fellow cast members and Marvel filmmakers, and also held an iconic place with audiences. Boseman’s death occurred while the sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was in development. Marvel Studios did not want to recast his role, instead choosing to honor Boseman and what he represented. They kept Boseman as the face of King T'Challa and decided to create a parallel between the real-world grief over Boseman's death, and the Wakandan grief over T’Challa's death. This created many opportunities throughout the film to honor both the character and the actor.

The box office success of the first Black Panther film opened the door for future films with casts that are predominantly people of color, and storylines that represent non-mainstream cultures. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'' took the MCU's movement toward cultural representation to a higher level with the introduction of the underwater Talokan kingdom. Filmmakers created Talokan to highlight authentic Mesoamerican cultures, indigenous people groups, and the Yucatec Mayan language. It also featured an all-star Latino cast including Venezuelan actor Alex Livinalli as Attuma, and Nahua-Mexican actress Mabel Cadena as Namora. Tenoch Huerta, from Ecatepec, Mexico, was cast as K'uk'ulkan, also known as Namor, the god and ruler of Talokan.

In both Black Panther films the Wakandans’ dialogue includes Xhosa, the official language of South Africa and Zimbabwe. In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” filmmakers brought in actor and native Mayan speaker Josué Maychi, as Shaman, to teach the cast, screenwriters and producers the correct usage of the Yucatec Maya language. Yucatec Maya is still the most widely spoken Mayan language in Central America.

The Mayan language and sounds were used throughout the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'' soundtrack, most notably by Mayan-Mexican rappers, All Mayan Winik, Pat Boy, and Yaalen K’uj, who wrote the end credit song, “Laayli’ kuxa’ano’one.” Composer Ludwig Göransson went to Mexico City and created the soundtrack with the help of musical archaeologists who specialize in recreating Mayan music. This was accomplished through studying instruments found in Mayan graves and ancient paintings depicting Mayan musicians' technique in playing turtle shells and seashells.

Not only does “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” set a very high standard for authenticity in cultural representation, it is also the final film in the MCU's Phase 4. This gives it the added responsibility of providing closure to previous film’s storylines in addition to setting the scene for the next phase of Marvel films.

Santa Monica College alumnus Faly Rakotohavana, is an actor whose work includes "Secret Society of Second Born Royals," "The Mick," "Nightmare Cinema," and the upcoming series "Unprisoned." Rakotohavana, a Marvel aficionado, said, “Wakanda Forever, it’s gotta be the best written Marvel movie since Civil War. They had to tie so many storylines together, so many plot points, and they did it in such a way that it kept you interested. It kept you locked in throughout the whole movie. For a movie that is close to three hours long, it's definitely difficult to do, and they did it very well.”

According to Box Office Mojo, as of Nov. 21, 10 days after its global release, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” box office numbers are approaching $545 Million worldwide, with over $287 million in domestic earnings.

The film’s opening weekend marked $181 Million in U.S. ticket sales, putting it in second place to the 2022 opening weekend record of $187 Million set by Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”