50 Fun Facts About Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Who directed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?

He co-wrote it with Joe Robert Cole and called working on it without Chadwick Boseman the hardest thing of his career.

Who becomes the new Black Panther in the film?

Nakia and M'Baku were both considered for the mantle before the filmmakers settled on T'Challa's sister.

How does T'Challa die at the start of the film?

Shuri races to synthesise the heart-shaped herb, burned by Killmonger in the first film, but fails in time.

Marvel chose not to recast T'Challa after which actor's death from colon cancer in August 2020?

Coogler and Kevin Feige were both unaware of his illness; he had planned to regain weight for a March 2021 shoot.

Who plays Namor?

He learned Yucatec Maya and how to swim for the role, and worked out obsessively fearing what the comics' green 'shame shorts' would look like.

What is the name of Namor's underwater kingdom in the film?

Coogler changed it from the comics' Atlantis to avoid comparisons with Aquaman; the name comes from an Aztec paradise ruled by Tlāloc.

By what divine name do the Talokanil refer to Namor?

It means the feathered serpent god; his birth name in the script, never spoken on screen, is Ch'ah Toh Almehen.

The film changes the meaning of Namor's name from the comics' 'Avenging Son' to what?

'Niño sin amor' is meant to reflect his hatred of the surface world.

Who is Riri Williams?

Dominique Thorne had originally auditioned to play Shuri in the first film; she went on to lead the Ironheart series.

How does Queen Ramonda die?

Angela Bassett was initially unhappy about the death; Coogler reminded her that death is rarely permanent in the MCU.

Which character does Shuri meet in the Ancestral Plane after taking the herb?

Michael B. Jordan's return asks whether she will seek revenge or be as honourable as her brother.

Who takes over as general of the Dora Milaje after Okoye is stripped of the title?

Okoye is given the Midnight Angel armour instead and recruits Aneka to fight beside her.

Which I May Destroy You creator plays Aneka?

She was drawn to the character being queer as in the comics; Aneka's relationship with Ayo was cut for the film's release in Kuwait.

Where has Nakia been living since the Blip when Ramonda seeks her out?

It is where Shuri finally burns her funeral robe and where the mid-credits secret is revealed.

What is revealed in the film's only credits scene?

The boy's Wakandan name is T'Challa; producer Nate Moore said the ending was too poetic to follow with a second stinger.

What was Coogler's original story, written before Boseman's death, built around?

Father and son would spend eight days in the bush, with Namor attacking mid-ritual and T'Challa refusing to break it.

Who arrests Everett Ross for passing intelligence to Wakanda?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character had a much bigger role in the pre-Boseman-death script.

What was the film's working title during production?

Kingdom of the Deep was among hundreds of real subtitles considered; Wakanda Forever had been earmarked for a third film.

Which subtitle referencing Namor's realm was among those considered before Wakanda Forever was chosen?

Nate Moore said Wakanda Forever was originally intended for a potential third Black Panther film.

Why was filming halted from November 2021 to January 2022?

She suffered a fractured shoulder and concussion in Boston; the hiatus did not move the release date.

Which US city's tunnel hosted the film's car chase in August 2021?

The Ernest A. Johnson Tunnel was used on August 23 and 24; other Massachusetts filming took place at MIT.

Where did filming officially wrap in March 2022?

Additional photography began there on March 18 and wrapped six days later.

Which real 19th-century book linking a lost continent to Mesoamerica helped shape Namor's kingdom?

The creatives also worked with Mayan historians, and production designer Hannah Beachler cited Jaws and Close Encounters as visual inspirations.

The actors based the Talokanil greeting gesture, like a sea creature's jaws, on which document?

Mejía, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livinalli came up with it; it was not in the script.

What sound did the editors use for Namor's ankle wings?

Coogler suggested it about two weeks before sound editing finished; the fight coordinator confirmed the wings can grow back.

Which costume designer created more than 2,000 outfits for the film?

She had won the Oscar for the first Black Panther and would win again for this one, the first Black woman to win two.

Which Academy Award did Wakanda Forever win?

It had five nominations; Angela Bassett's supporting-actress nod was the first ever for acting in a Marvel film.

Angela Bassett's Oscar nomination for playing Ramonda marked what Marvel milestone?

She also became the first actress to win a major acting award, a Golden Globe, for a Marvel role.

Which singer's 'Lift Me Up' was the film's lead single and her first solo release since 2016?

She co-wrote it with Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Coogler as a tribute to Boseman.

Which Bob Marley song, covered by Tems, played over the teaser trailer?

The teaser transitioned into Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' and drew 172 million views in 24 hours.

In which two countries did Ludwig Göransson record traditional music for the score?

He worked in Lagos with artists like Fireboy DML, then in Mexico for Talokan's sound, before recording the orchestra at Abbey Road.

How long was the film's original first cut, according to editor Michael Shawver?

It included a subplot in which Shuri and Riri teamed up with Namor; the reworked narrative was fixed in reshoots.

How many pages long was the underwater kingdom's 'bible' that Marvel created for the film?

It covered the kingdom's history, battle strategies, tools, architecture and influence, according to Weta FX supervisor Chris White.

Wakanda Forever is which numbered MCU film?

It followed Thor: Love and Thunder; Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opened Phase Five.

The film's US$181.3 million debut set what record?

It beat The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's $158.1 million and was the third-biggest of the pandemic era.

Approximately how much did Wakanda Forever gross worldwide?

That made it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2022; it stayed at number one domestically for five weekends until Avatar: The Way of Water.

In which African country did the film hold a November 2022 premiere, called the first local premiere for a Marvel film?

It went on to record the biggest opening ever for any film there.

Wakanda Forever's February 2023 release in China ended a Marvel drought dating back to which film?

It was the first MCU film shown in the country since 2019.

Which country's defence minister objected to the film's mercenaries wearing uniforms like his soldiers'?

Sébastien Lecornu called the Mali scene 'a false and misleading representation'; the uniforms echoed Operation Barkhane.

Which Disney+ series serves as a direct sequel to Wakanda Forever, following Riri Williams?

It premiered in June 2025 as part of Phase Five.

Which comedian returns as the voice of Shuri's A.I., Griot?

CNN's Anderson Cooper also appears as himself, and UFC champion Kamaru Usman cameos as a naval officer.

Which actress died in October 2021 while reprising her role as the Merchant Tribe elder?

She had begun acting in her late eighties; Connie Chiume moved from Mining Tribe elder to Elder Statesman.

Why did Daniel Kaluuya not return as W'Kabi?

The sequel explains that W'Kabi was banished from Wakanda after the events of the first film.

Which retailer's ad showed Riri Williams building her suit alongside girls playing with Lego?

The minute-long ad, directed by Malik Vitthal, used Janelle Monáe's 'I Got the Juice'.

What did the film's main-on-end title sequence, designed by Perception, depict?

It was shot practically with a fireproof Panavision camera and real controlled flames on matching fabric.

Which actor was cast as the adult T'Challa II / Toussaint for Black Panther III?

Denzel Washington was also cast, and the film was given a December 15, 2028 release date.

Which actress plays Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the new director of the CIA?

The character is also Everett Ross's ex-wife, which makes his quiet help for Wakanda even more awkward.

Okoye and Aneka take on the mantle of which armoured duo in the film?

Aneka's romance with fellow Dora Milaje warrior Ayo is carried over from the comics, and Coogler called the character 'kind of a rebel'.

At which Georgia studio complex did production begin on June 29, 2021?

Filming had originally been slated to start in March 2021 before Chadwick Boseman's death forced a rewrite.

Which Mexican actress plays Namora, Namor's cousin and right-hand woman?

She was unveiled alongside Alex Livinalli, who plays the warrior Attuma, at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022.