This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has finally hit theaters and both served as a touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman but also served as a rousing conclusion for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel Studios' projects are known for setting up future projects, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did keep much of its central focus on the grief of losing T'Challa and how those closest to him deal with the loss all while handling the threat of the underwater city Talokan which also has access to Vibranium and lead by the powerful ruler Namor.
Yet Black Panther: Wakanda Forever still featured plenty of exciting teases and interesting potential status quo changes for the MCU. While it was originally questionable why Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would mark the end of Phase 4, it has become clear following the film that more so than any other MCU Phase 4 project it has some of the biggest ripple effects for the entire franchise and likely will play a foundational basis for many upcoming projects. This is how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sets up the future of the MCU.
Wakanda Has New Leadership
Much of the anticipation around Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was about who would step into the role of the new Black Panther. Yet while T'Challa was both Black Panther and king of Wakanda, that does not always need to be the case. After all, in Captain America: Civil War it was established T'Challa was operating as Black Panther while his father T'Chacka was still alive.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sees Shuri become the Black Panther, but the young hero does not take on the role of Wakanda's leader. Being a ruler was not something the young princess likely imagined she would ever do, and the film ends with the implication that M'Baku will be the new king of Wakanda. The leader of the Jabari tribe has been a powerful ally to Wakanda since the first Black Panther film, and in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever established himself as a calm and collected leader. With M'Baku as King and Shuri as Black Panther, Wakanda seems prepared for what is on the horizon.
War is Coming For Wakanda
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever establishes that various governments around the world (particularly France and the United States) are interested in acquiring Wakanda's resource of Vibranium by any means necessary. Due to Wakanda keeping the identity of the Taloken a secret, many of the world's governments assume Wakanda was responsible for killing the scientist aboard the Navy Seal vessel.
The new leader of the CIA is revealed to be Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the mysterious individual who has shown up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. Valentina makes it clear her desire is for the United States to be the only country with access to Vibranium, and appears to be pivoting to a global conflict between the two countries. This sets the stage for a high-profile Phase 5 film, Thunderbolts.
Preparing the Thunderbolts
Disney
Thunderbolts is set for release on July 26, 2024, and was originally intended to be the final film of Phase 5 until Blade was delayed by a whole year. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being the final film in Phase 4, the idea of Thunderbolts as the original end of Phase 5 makes a great deal of sense. Valentina has been recruiting characters across the various MCU Phase 4 projects, and her involvement in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may indicate exactly what the team will be doing.
Much of the roster for Thunderbolts makes it appear as a crossover sequel between Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it could also be a semi-sequel to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Thunderbolts could see the team sent into Wakanda to retrieve Vibranium. This would certainly put Bucky Barnes in a conflicted role as he owes the Wakandans, particularly Shuri, for helping him break free from his Winter Soldier programming.
An Ironheart Origin Story
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced the character of Riri Williams aka Ironheart. The character was confirmed for her own Disney+ series in 2020 even before it was confirmed she would appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Much like how Black Panther got his origin story told in Captain America: Civil War so his feature film could dive right into a battle-for-the-throne story, with Riri Williams's origin set up in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever it will be interesting to see the story her show sets up.
Currently, it is known it will feature the villain the Hood (played by Anthony Ramos), and is pitched as a battle between science and magic. Ironheart is currently projected to premiere sometime in late 2023, possibly meaning it might not air until even November 2023, meaning it could be a whole year's wait for audiences to see Ironheart again.
Wakanda Series
In 2021, it was announced that in addition to working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and producing Ironheart, Ryan Coogler was also developing a Wakanda series focused on Danai Gurira's Dora Milaje leader Okoye. Following the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever it appears a better understanding of what the series could be about.
In the film, Okoye is stripped of her rank as the Dora Milaje leader. Towards the film's climax, she wears a prototype armor created by Shuri dubbed Midnight Angel. Okoye wears it into battle against Namor and the Talokan army and is seen breaking Everett Ross out of custody. With Wakanda now at the center of multiple conflicts from various nations, the upcoming series could be focused on the Midnight Angels as a sort of Wakandan CIA team going to intercept various threats before they arrive at Wakanda's borders.
Talokan's Place in the MCU
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ends with Wakanda vowing to keep Talokan existence hidden from the rest of the world, and Namor forming a truce with Wakanda. He then explains to his cousin Namora that with the war coming for Wakanda they will need to turn to Talokan as an alley and that will give Talokan an advantage in eventually attacking the surface world.
Namor is one of Marvel's oldest characters, and while it is still unclear if a solo Namor film can be made without Universal Pictures, it certainly seems like he and the Talokan will be big players in the MCU moving forward. Namor is often a supporting character and enemy of The Fantastic Four and with the super team set to join in Phase 6, there is a chance he could show up in that film. Worth noting is that Avengers: Secret Wars is an adaptation of the Secret Wars comic from 2015 where Namor was a prominent character and will likely be a valuable ally in the fight against Kang the Conqueror and whatever threats are on the horizon.
T'Challa Lives On in Spirit
Disney
While most MCU films use their end credits to tease a future project, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever keeps with the film tone of being a respectful farewell to the late Chadwick Boseman. The mid-credit scene features Nakia introducing Shuri to Toussaint, the son she had with T'Challa. The two decided it would be best for him to be raised away from Wakanda and the pressure of royalty. Toussaint reveals his Wakanda name is T'Challa, honoring his father's legacy.
While some may read this as setting up a new Black Panther or a potential Young Avenger the mid-credit scene is more about showing that the idea of T'Challa still lives in the MCU. There is always a chance Marvel Studios could years down the line feature an older T'Challa stepping into the role of Black Panther. After all, his origin story of being Wakandan royalty but raised outside of it would create an interesting contrast to his uncle Kilmonger. This child could be the bridge between Wakanda and the outside world, as he will have lived among non-Wakandians but also have his mother Nakia's guidance. Yet for now, the final moment is more about honoring Chadwick Boseman knowing that while he is gone his T'Challa will live on in spirit forever.