It's been nearly a year since WAKANDA FOREVER hit our screens...

...and whilst I did have issues with it in my initial review (CGI straight out of 'SHARKNADO' and a running time that made it literally feel like 'WAKANDA FOREVER') there was something I couldn't really touch on without giving away spoilers. Something that, to me, undermined the entire film; The after credits scene.

After credits scenes have lost the magic that they originally conjured. Rather than seeing a sneak peak into the future, like a child looking through a rip in the wrapping that's been poorly swaddled around tomorrow morning's present, it now feels like an add on that has no place in the original product. Whilst the decline of 'after credits scenes' is a rant for another time (perhaps a podcast episode?) it does mean that these scenes definitely deserve more scrutiny. Especially when hitched onto the back of the 40 carriage train of running time that is 'WAKANDA FOREVER'.

However, this film did actually make the scene mean something. It wasn't a giant ant on drums or the dude from the Evil Dead breaking the fourth wall. It had gravitas and meaning and perhaps it was also too much too soon...

If you need reminding here is the scene:

But if you are skiving off work and cannot watch that, here is a very quick reminder and summarisation; Shuri  learns that Nakia and T'Challa had a son named Toussaint, whom Nakia has been raising in secret. His wakandan name is...T'Challa.

This film spends 161 minutes establishing that the lead, Shuri, is the Black Panther. This nearly 3 hour film, that clearly spends a lot of time cementing that there is no recasting of Chadwick Boseman, no alternative versions of T'Challa coming from another multiverse, both to the audience and to the characters within the universe it is set in, makes the entire film's mission statement that a female can and has taken the mantle of the Black Panther role...then decides to interject at the credits, 'Yeahhhhhhhh but we have another fella named T'Challa who will be our next Black Panther. Get hyped for him!'

Surely this steals all of Shuri's thunder. Rather than sit and marinate in the moment, enjoying that Shuri is our Black Panther, she is now immediately a transitional Black Panther. We're all now just waiting for her to move aside so we can get T'Challa back. Because Toussaint isn't a new character, not really.

The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman was clearly not on the project timeline of the MCU execs and those in charge of Black Panther. Marvel didn't give him a son for any other reason than, "We can have T'Challa as Black Panther again". And if you think any differently just look at the comics. T'Challa, in main continuity, doesn't have a son. And his alternate universe version that does, has his with Storm, they have mutant powers and aren't called Toussaint.

This rebirth of T'Challa should have had a build. It should have been a premise or something to put at the end of the third Black Panther film. If not for it we wpuld be celebrating and speculating over Shuri's future as Black Panther. Who would it be cool for her to work with? What Avengers stories could they tell that involve her? What impact will she have on the MCU? But that interest in the Shuri's growth and these conversations are not happening.

Since I walked out of the cinema I haven't heard an utterance of Shuri's name in any nerdy chat. The excitement for her reign fizzled out as soon as we all collectively saw that she simply didn't matter anymore. And why would she? T'Challa IS Black Panther. Just like Tony is Iron Man or Diana Prince IS Wonder Woman. I'm not saying others can not rock those titles but, at the end of the day, we only get that warm, fuzzy, safe feeling when we have the OG back in the spandex. ​

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I genuinely feel sorry for Letitia Wright and her portrayal of Shuri. None of this is her fault. In fact her performance of Shuri somewhat stole the show in the first film and made people have the sort of conversations that helped her comfortably throw her hat in the ring when the Black Panther vacancy became available.

Shuri's Black Panther was meant to be another addition to the MCU that got us excited, and to be honest, she still does. I can't wait for the next big crossover, Shuri walks onto the screen and steals the scene. I'm sure her dynamic with someone like Carol Danvers or Kamala Khan will be especially interesting and entertaining. But there will now forever be a shadow. Any moment where we think her on screen death may be coming. That her time as the Black Panther may be ending, we will not hold our breath nor worry. We won't spend any time upset or missing her like we did Tony. Instead we will silently be excited to see if our online casting choice predictions have been correct for the new adult T'Challa Black Panther.

Let me know what you think. Email [email protected] or tweet us @talknerdyuk

By Jay Burdett @projub on X/Twitter