Marvel's Best or Worst? 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

This review contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

After the death of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the Black Panther and her brother, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is overcome with loss and grief. She tried to revive T'Challa using her scientific technology, but failed. The 'Heart-Shaped Herb' that could have cured his illness was completely destroyed by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), the antagonist of the first film, and no longer existed. It seemed like there was nothing more she could do in this world.**

In this situation, Wakanda faces a new threat. Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of Talokan, a hidden kingdom deep in the Atlantic Ocean, arrives and demands an alliance. There was another vibranium deposit in their underwater realm, and Talokan was planning to invade the surface world before the United States could. Wakanda refused to participate in his war plans, and Namor retaliated by drowning Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri's mother, and disappearing.

Grief and loss were compounded by a feeling of vengeance in Shuri. Referencing the mysterious herb that allows the Talokan people to breathe underwater, she successfully restores the 'Heart-Shaped Herb'. To take revenge on Namor, Shuri consumes the herb. And for a short while, like all the previous Black Panthers, she goes to the 'Ancestral Plane'.**

The Ancestral Plane is a recurring motif in the Black Panther franchise. In the previous film, T'Challa ate this herb and met his deceased father and the previous Black Panthers in the Ancestral Plane. Erik Killmonger also met his deceased father. However, instead of the Ancestral Plane, he returned to the corner of his father's apartment in America where he had died. T'Challa's 'Ancestral Plane' was only faintly visible outside the apartment window. This scene was praised for showcasing his sense of victimhood and deprivation.**

In this film as well, the Ancestral Plane is used as a device to show the protagonist's psychology. Instead of the mysterious grasslands where the ancestors reside, Shuri who consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb is trapped in the exact spot where her mother died, and it is none other than Erik Killmonger who appears before her.**

If you're expecting a typical action blockbuster or a typical Marvel movie, this movie might seem like a failure. The visual spectacle it offers is limited, and while the protagonist, Shuri, does become a new Black Panther, the pervading mood of sadness throughout the film prevents a strong sense of catharsis.

But if you consider this film a Marvel Studios-style exploration of loss and deprivation, it can be considered one of the best Marvel movies. In particular, the scene where Shuri, after consuming the Heart-Shaped Herb, encounters Killmonger is a creative use of the legacy of the previous film to reveal the protagonist's psyche. Killmonger was consumed by a sense of victimhood and revenge, and sought to destroy the entire world, only to meet his end as a result.

Towards the end of the film, Shuri finds herself in exactly the same predicament as Killmonger. While battling Namor to avenge her mother, Shuri's Black Panther suit is pierced by Namor's vibranium spear. This scene mirrors the exact manner of Killmonger's death in the previous film. Only at this moment does Shuri see her mother in the 'Ancestral Plane'. Shuri finally realizes the futility of revenge and offers to protect Talokan from the Western powers in exchange for saving Namor's life as he is dying.

This film essentially compresses the journey of T'Challa's Black Panther into Shuri's. T'Challa pursued Captain America in 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016) to avenge his father, only to witness the catastrophic consequences of revenge. In 'Black Panther' (2018), he defeats his revenge-driven cousin Killmonger and decides to end Wakanda's isolationist policy. By abandoning revenge against Namor, Shuri has fully inherited the narrative that T'Challa built up over several films.**

In addition to the protagonist's story, the film also achieves remarkable success in its music and certain visual aspects. While Ludwig Göransson studied African music for the previous film, this time he delved into the traditional music of the Yucatan Peninsula. The music he composed and the underwater world of Talokan depicted by director Ryan Coogler blend seamlessly.