Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – 7 Burning Questions We Still Have About the Sequel

If we’re judging superhero movies by their trailers alone, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is shaping up to be one of the best in years. But as good as the trailers we’ve seen so far have been, there’s a lot they don’t tell us about the plot of Marvel’s long-awaited sequel. It’s a big change from that time Marvel spoiled the appearance of Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier in Doctor Strange 2.

As the release date draws near, let’s take a look at the biggest questions still surrounding Wakanda Forever and how this series is moving forward after the death of its lead actor.

What Causes T’Challa’s Death?

The sequel faces the extremely difficult challenge of moving the franchise forward after the tragic, untimely death of star Chadwick Boseman. Marvel has been clear that T’Challa won’t be recast, and that the film will instead focus on Wakanda grieving for its lost king even as the real world mourns Boseman’s passing.

Both trailers focus a lot of attention on T’Challa’s funeral. We see Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Angela Bassett’s Ramonda wearing ceremonial white robes and walking through the streets as dancers celebrate T’Challa’s life and legacy. And it’s clear the film will explore the difficult aftermath as the kingdom tries to regain its footing without its king to light the way.

That all being said, we still don’t know exactly how T’Challa’s death will be handled in the film. It appears that Wakanda is devastated by a flood at some point during the course of the story, likely as part of an Atlantean attack. Is T’Challa one of the casualties of that flood? Is he assassinated? Or will the film mirror reality and reveal T’Challa succumbed to cancer? That last option may be the most respectful way of handling T’Challa’s death. And as Marvel’s comics have established, cancer is the one disease that even advanced super-science and magic spells have trouble combatting.

Does Wakanda Face a Civil War?

However T’Challa’s death is actually explained in the film, it’s safe to assume the aftermath will be chaotic for Shuri and her family. As far as we know, T’Challa left no heir behind, which could make the question of succession tricky. Unlike the first film, there’s no option for someone to challenge the current king to a ritualistic duel for the right to rule Wakanda.

Based on the footage revealed so far, it appears Ramonda is now the ruler of Wakanda as its Queen Regent. But what about Wakanda’s long-term future? Will the five tribes of Wakanda accept Ramonda as their queen? And assuming Shuri has a claim to the throne, does she even want that responsibility?

We could easily see internal strife proving to be as big a threat to Wakanda’s future as outside enemies like Atlantis. What if M’Baku and the Jabari give up on the whole unity thing and make a play for the throne? What if Okoye, who led Wakanda through the dark days after the Snap, feels she deserves to be crowned Queen? Could the rest of the Wakandan military hope to stand up to a rebellious squad of Dora Milaje? And what if Wakanda’s citizens decide maybe it’s time to abolish the monarchy and give democracy a try? Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther comics could give us an idea of what lies ahead for Wakanda in the MCU.

Why Is Atlantis Attacking Wakanda?

Marvel has kept the plot of Wakanda Forever pretty tightly under wraps, but at this point it’s clear the movie is centered around a war between Wakanda and Atlantis (or Talokan, as it’s known in the MCU). The two nations are clear parallels of each other, as they’re both advanced civilizations ruled by superhuman kings, who have spent centuries hiding from the outside world. But why are they coming into conflict now?

Actor Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor, has hinted that this war is a result of the first movie’s ending. T’Challa made the controversial decision to reveal the truth about Wakanda’s power to the outside world. Somehow, that puts a target not just on Wakanda itself, but also its undersea neighbor.

The biggest question here is whether Talokan is the aggressor in this conflict, or if Wakanda is somehow responsible for the inciting incident. We can’t help but think back to Avengers: Endgame and Okoye’s reference to a mysterious undersea earthquake. That was probably setting up the events of Wakanda Forever.

How Is the US Government Involved?

Both trailers suggest the US government is taking a more active role in the political turmoil surrounding Wakanda this time. We can see what appears to be a CIA or military task force storming an oceanic facility and threatening a group of scientists.

Just how involved is the West in this deadly conflict between Wakanda and Talokan? Is the US government trying to keep the peace, or do they see an opening to neutralize multiple threats and acquire Wakanda’s vibranium for themselves? Whatever’s going on here, we expect Martin Freeman’s Everett K. Ross to play a key role in this part of the story. More than ever, Ross may be torn between his loyalty to his country and his attachment to T’Challa’s family. Will that also feed into Ross’ role in the upcoming Secret Invasion series?

What Powers Does the New Black Panther Have?

Marvel is clearly trying to get away with showing as little of the new Black Panther as possible leading up to the film’s release. Even so, between the source material and some surprisingly spoiler-y LEGO sets, we have a pretty good idea of which character is wearing the Panther costume.

A better question is what powers this new Black Panther will have. The new suit looks to have vibranium claws and the power to absorb vibrations, just as T’Challa’s upgraded suit did in the first movie. But T’Challa also had the benefit of the Heart-Shaped Herb, a mystical flower grown in a sacred temple that grants the Black Panther increased strength, agility and senses. Killmonger torched that temple when he briefly usurped the throne, which could make things pretty awkward for T’Challa’s replacement.

Will we find out the kingdom has a backup supply of the herb? Or will the new Black Panther have to rely on even better technology to make up for the lack of superhuman powers? All we know is that Namor looks to be quite a formidable opponent, even for someone with super-strength.

Is Namor Actually the Villain?

On that note, is Namor actually the villain of Wakanda Forever in the first place? As we’ve already covered, it’s unclear whether Talokan is the aggressor in this war or merely defending itself from a perceived threat. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that the trailers go out of their way to paint Namor as a sympathetic figure who feels the burden of his feathery crown.

If Namor is presented as the main antagonist of Wakanda Forever, he’s all but certain to go down as one of the most nuanced villains in the MCU so far. This series already has a strong track record on that front thanks to Killmonger. But is he actually a villain, or will Wakanda Forever pull the old superhero movie switcheroo and roll out the real villain in Act 3? Maybe Namor will eventually renounce Talokan’s war on Wakanda. Maybe his lieutenant Attuma – a character with a long history as a villain in the comics – is the true baddie of the sequel. Or maybe there’s another villain entirely, one who’s manipulating the two kingdoms from behind the scenes.

What Role Does Riri Williams Play?

Not only is Wakanda Forever finally introducing Namor to the MCU, it’s also the debut for Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, better known as the armored hero Ironheart. The two trailers give us a few quick glimpses of Riri. The first shows her bonding with Shuri in her high-tech Wakandan lab, and the second reveals the Ironheart armor in action.

The big question here is why Riri is making her debut in a Black Panther sequel, of all places. Riri has no deep connection to Wakanda in the comics. She’s a Chicago native who overcomes a childhood plagued by gun violence, gets kicked out of MIT after reverse-engineering the Iron Man armor in her dorm room and eventually becomes a superhero. Is her back-story being reworked in the MCU so she has closer ties to Wakanda?

Our best guess is that Riri is recruited by one of the outreach centers T’Challa created at the end of the first movie. She may have spent the last few years learning from Wakanda’s best minds, and now it’s time for her to put her skills to use as her new home faces an existential threat.

Be sure to let us know your theories about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Is there a mystery villain at play? Will Wakanda be ravaged by civil war? Sound off in the comments.

For more on Wakanda Forever, brush up on the full history of Namor and find out why the MCU already has more mutants than you might think.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.