The world is still reeling from the sudden and tragic ing of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just right, going through several versions of the script to ensure the movie will both meet fan expectations and honor Boseman’s legacy.
The sequel obviously won’t be the same without Boseman, but his co-stars are still committed to making a movie that he would be proud of. From Lupita Nyong’o to Letitia Wright, these beloved MCU stars are confirmed to reprise their roles in Wakanda Forever.
Lupita Nyong’o
Wakandan spy Nakia appeared as an MCU love interest like no other in the first Black Panther movie. T’Challa and Nakia had already dated and it didn’t work out because his place is in Wakanda and her place is in the field. So, they decided to just be friends – they’re essentially the Jerry and Elaine of the MCU. However, in a franchise that usually peddles painfully conventional romantic arcs, T’Challa and Nakia’s “just friends” dynamic offered something refreshingly new.
Thankfully, Lupita Nyong’o has been confirmed to be reprising her role as Nakia in the sequel Wakanda Forever. Her greatest sequence in the first Black Panther movie was a James Bond-inspired casino fight, and hopefully, we’ll get more 007-adjacent action involving Nakia in the sequel.
Angela Bassett
Decades after she was up for the part of Storm in James Cameron’s ultimately unproduced X-Men movie, Angela Bassett finally got to play a Marvel character: Ramonda, the mother of T’Challa and Shuri and, in her official capacity, the Queen Mother of Wakanda. Additionally, Bassett is confirmed to be returning to the role for the sequel.
Bassett has been enjoying something of a career comeback lately. In addition to playing Black Panther’s mom, she’s played the lead role in the show Soul.
Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross was introduced in Captain America: Civil War as the CIA bureaucrat in charge of keeping Bucky in prison, and later in charge of keeping Zemo in prison. Despite the fact that both Bucky and Zemo escaped from prison, he still has his job. Freeman appeared in the first Black Panther movie when he was attacked by Klaw. After being saved by Shuri, Ross remotely controlled a futuristic fighter jet during the final battle.
After getting his start playing Tim Canterbury in The Hobbit trilogy. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, his character (who is confirmed to appear) could be tasked with helping Wakanda expand its reach into the wider world.
Winston Duke
Winston Duke is also confirmed to reprise his role as M’Baku – the badass warrior who leads the Jabari, the mountain tribe of Wakanda – in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Initially, M’Baku was introduced as a powerful enemy of T’Challa’s from a rival tribe. However, they eventually teamed up to liberate the throne from Killmonger and M’Baku has been a loyal ally ever since.
In the years since Black Panther hit theaters, Duke’s star power has risen significantly. He starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the Netflix action comedy Us. He’s also signed on to appear in the movies Heroine and Marked Man.
Danai Gurira
Okoye has quickly become beloved among the MCU fanbase as one of the franchise’s strongest female characters. As the head of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-female band of special forces soldiers and royal bodyguards, she’s also the military leader in charge of a bunch of the franchise’s other strongest female characters. Unsurprisingly, Danai Gurira has been tapped to reprise her fan-favorite role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Gurira got her big break with the role of Michonne in The Walking Dead, but Okoye has arguably become even more iconic and recognizable than the katana-wielding zombie-slayer. The as-yet-untitled Disney+ series revolving around Wakanda is reportedly centered around the Dora Milaje told through the lens of Okoye’s origin story, so Gurira’s role in Wakanda Forever might serve to set up this series.
Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright is confirmed to reprise her role as Infinity War. In Wakanda Forever, we could see the full extent of that genius as she develops new tech and makes new scientific breakthroughs.
After Boseman’s ing necessitated T’Challa’s removal from the story, Shuri was given a much bigger role that she had in the original script. It’s possible that she’ll take the mantle of Black Panther from her older brother like she did in the comics. This storyline would be in line with Phase Four’s focus on superheroes ing on their mantles to their successors.
