Black Panther Returns To The MCU For The First Time In 3 Years

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In the year 2022, the journey of Black Panther continued within the Marvel Cinematic Universe through “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” earning over $800 million, but no immediate follow-up was announced. Discussions about “Black Panther 3” had circulated, yet it wasn’t until Denzel Washington confirmed his involvement in the sequel that things seemed to solidify. As of now, there’s no set date for the project, but Marvel has an empty slot in 2027 and four more scheduled for 2028. If the sequel doesn’t feature Letitia Wright reprising her role as Shuri and Wakanda by one of these dates, it would be quite unexpected. This would mean a gap of 5 or even 6 years between the sequels, which is quite a long wait.

It’s highly probable that both “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” will reintroduce Shuri, with the former already set to involve the Wakandans. However, we won’t see “Doomsday” for another 18 months, so any hint at Black Panther storylines is eagerly anticipated by fans. And Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has indeed provided a treat for these fans with the debut of “Ironheart,” featuring a guest appearance by Letitia Wright as Shuri.

The cameo of Shuri presents a drawback: Her screen time is minimal and scarcely qualifies as significant. During Ironheart’s opening sequence where she discusses her involvement in extracurricular, illegal activities while studying at MIT, Ironheart mentions in voiceover that after an internship in Wakanda (presumably following the removal of her suit), she realized she needed a massive amount of vibranium-like resources to achieve her ultimate goal. This revelation is accompanied by a shot of Shuri diligently working on a complex equation in the Wakandan lab, which is the most substantial screen time for Shuri we’ve had in live-action for nearly three years.

The issue with the present Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) structure is that even the most successful Marvel films result in an extended phase of no new content at all. At the moment, aside from some rumors and early statements by Washington about his participation, we don’t know much about Black Panther 3. Although it’s plausible that it will be part of one of the upcoming but unnamed MCU releases, without official confirmation, all we can point to are a few hints indicating Marvel is aware of Black Panther.

In Riri’s tale, it seems unusual that Wakanda plays a minor role given her independent spirit could only cause problems when Shuri took away her access to the second Ironheart armor. One might expect the Dora Milaje to be watching over her, especially since she remains a potential target for Talokan dissidents. However, their absence leaves us puzzled, as their presence would have swiftly resolved the entire Ironheart plot. So, it’s understandable that Wakanda’s influence appears rather subtle in this narrative.

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Ironheart‘s first 3 episodes are streaming on Disney+ now.

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2025-06-25 04:39