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

After the death of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) is consumed by grief and loss. She tried to bring him back to life using her advanced technology, but failed. The heart-shaped herb that could cure his illness was destroyed by Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), the antagonist of the first film. There seemed to be nothing left she could do in this world. **

In this situation, Wakanda faces a new threat. Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the king of the underwater kingdom of Talocan, demands an alliance. There was another vibranium deposit deep in the ocean where they lived, and Talocan intended to invade the surface world before the United States did. ** When Wakanda declined his war plan, Namor drowned Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri's mother, and disappeared.

Shuri, consumed by grief and loss, was further fueled by a sense of revenge. She was able to restore the heart-shaped herb, drawing inspiration from the mystical herb that allowed the Talocan people to breathe underwater. Shuri eats this herb to seek revenge on Namor. For a moment, she is transported to the Ancestral Plane, as all previous Black Panthers have been. **

The Ancestral Plane has been a recurring motif in the Black Panther franchise. In the previous film, T'Challa ate this herb and met his dead father and the previous Black Panthers in the Ancestral Plane. Erik Killmonger also met his deceased father again. But instead of the Ancestral Plane, he returned to the corner of the apartment where his father died in America. The 'Ancestral Plane' that T'Challa went to was only faintly visible outside the apartment window. This scene was highly praised for showing his victimization and lack. **

In this film, the Ancestral Plane is once again used as a device to show the protagonist's psychology. After Shuri ate the heart-shaped herb, none other than Erik Killmonger appeared before her. ** Instead of the mystical meadow where the ancestors lived, she is trapped in the very spot where her mother died. Just like when Killmonger took the herb, the 'Ancestral Plane' is only outside the window, and she cannot go.

If you expect a typical action blockbuster or a typical Marvel film, this film may seem like a failure. The visual pleasure this film offers is limited, and although the protagonist Shuri emerges as a new Black Panther, the overall sadness of the film does not give you a sense of catharsis.

However, if you consider this film a Marvel Studios style film about loss and deprivation, this film could be the best Marvel film. In particular, the scene where Shuri, who has taken the heart-shaped herb, meets Killmonger is an example of creatively using the legacy of the previous work to reveal the protagonist's psychology. Killmonger was obsessed with a sense of victimization and revenge, and tried to burn down the whole world, but he was killed because of it.

Shuri also suffers the same exact fate as Killmonger in the latter half of the film. While fighting Namor to seek revenge, Shuri's Black Panther suit is pierced by Namor's vibranium spear. This scene is exactly the same as the way Killmonger died in the previous film. It is at this moment that Shuri sees her mother in the 'Ancestral Plane'. Shuri finally realizes the futility of revenge, and offers to protect Talocan from Western superpowers in exchange for saving the dying Namor.

This film compressed T'Challa's Black Panther journey and transplanted it to Shuri's Black Panther. In 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016), T'Challa chased after Captain America for revenge, but witnessed the catastrophe that revenge brought about. In 'Black Panther' (2018), he defeated his revenge-seeking cousin Killmonger and decided to end Wakanda's isolationist policy. By giving up revenge on Namor, Shuri inherits the narrative that T'Challa built over multiple films. **

In addition to the protagonist Shuri's story, this film achieved considerable success in music and some visual aspects. While Ludwig Göransson studied African music in the previous film, this time he studied traditional music from the Yucatan Peninsula. The music he composed and the deep-sea world of Talocan that director Ryan Coogler portrayed blend seamlessly.