Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Black Panther film, was released in 2022 to widespread praise for finding the perfect balance between honoring the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa in the first film, and advancing the franchise's story. This was a difficult task, given the impact that Boseman had on the franchise and the fact that he passed away before the sequel was filmed. While the final version of the film was well-received by audiences and critics, there were alternate scenes that didn't make the cut, including a different ending that involved Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, and an Iron Man-inspired subplot for the character Riri Williams.

Director Ryan Coogler recently shared more details about the making of the film during the audio commentary for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He revealed that they experimented with removing the opening U.N. scene and the Dora Milaje action scene in an attempt to explore different possibilities for the film. Coogler arrived at the studio early in the morning to watch the version without the two scenes, but he was shocked to find that it was not working. Instead, he felt it was the "worst movie ever."

“I’ll tell y’all a secret that’s funny. We were experimenting with all types of stuff with this movie. And at one point, we experimented with taking these two scenes out of the movie, like [the U.N. scene and the opening Dora Milaje action scene] here. And we were just talking like, ’Yeah, it’ll work without it, ‘cause X, Y, and, Z.’" Coogler said. He then added "And I remember I came in early at 6am to watch, because I just wanted to watch it down before we tested it with the scenes out. And we pressed play on it, and I was watching it, and it was just the worst movie ever, you know what I’m saying?"

Realizing the severity of the situation, he frantically called the producer, Nate Moore, in an attempt to get the movie fixed before the test screening began.

"I was like, ‘Oh, this is terrible.’ At some point, I was standing up in the screening room completely alone, like 6:45am, and I’m just calling on my phone, calling Nate [Moore], I’m calling everybody like, ‘Yo, this is a mistake. We gotta fix this.’ But it’s a trip to understand how important these two scenes are for the movie to work.”

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The Deleted Scenes From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Riri Williams is Ironheart in Black Panther 2
Marvel Studios

A recently released deleted scene from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever titled "Daughter of the Border" offers a glimpse into the internal power struggles within Wakanda following the death of its beloved Queen Ramonda. The loss of the ruler has created a power vacuum, leaving the nation in need of a new leader to guide it through its current crisis and defend against future threats. The scene focuses on Okoye, the ex-General of the Dora Milaje and a fierce warrior who the people of Wakanda respect. Her uncle approaches her with a proposal to become the nation's next ruler. The uncle believes that the Warrior Falls ritual, a longstanding tradition in Wakanda, should be invoked to determine the next ruler.

Previously released deleted scenes have also expanded the storyline and added new perspectives to the sequel. One scene highlights the development of the relationship between Riri Williams and Shuri before they flee Talokan City. Another scene focuses on a subplot involving Everett Ross, who infiltrates the NSA to retrieve Riri's laptop. These scenes were left on the cutting room floor due to creative decisions made by the filmmakers, but they provide an interesting glimpse into what could have been.