SPOILERS for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, What If...? Season 3, and any MCU TV/Film released up to June 2025.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was first released in late 2022.
The series Ironheart, featuring Riri Williams who first debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, releases on June 24, 2025.
With the exception of What If...? S03E05 "What If... the Emergence Destroyed the Earth?", we haven't seen Riri Williams in ~2.5 years.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is also just a great film.
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I liked how Shuri's arc mirrored T'Challa's arc in Civil War. It was each of their first appearances as Black Panther, and they each struggled with vengeance in the face of a murdered parent.
Overall I thought it was a great movie. The plotting was so tight. The way all the elements tied together was just really well done.
T'Challa's death being tied to the heart shaped herb, which then creates a tie between Wakanda and Talokan, as well as giving a plausible and satisfying workaround to the corner they wrote themselves into by destroying the herb in the first movie.
Namor's motivation being tied to the conflict (and conclusion) of the first movie, specifically because of the presence of vibranium in Wakanda and Talokan, which creates another tie.
And of course the heart shaped herb gets its power from the vibranium, so we again get to focus on a story that takes place with a consistent set of rules, because all the hand-waving is pretty much confined to that one thing.
The only exception to that is Riri, but the arc reactor is well established in the universe, so that's not a big deal. Plus she also ties back to the conclusion of the first movie (Wakandan outreach), so it's not like she's coming out of nowhere.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that one of the pitfalls of superhero movies is that sometimes elements of the story can just pop up in a way that feels arbitrary and unsatisfying. Wakanda Forever deftly avoids this. All of the new stuff branches out organically from established elements from the first movie. Very tight writing.
I just finished my rewatch and I think I agree with you, except for the ending battle. That's the part that feels rushed.
When Killmonger takes over he rules with an iron fist, he goes too far by destroying the herb, and Wakanda isn't saved until T'Challa returns.
When Shuri takes over she similarly goes right into revenge mode, but then she sorta just saves herself and resolves everything.
I would have liked to see Shuri take things a little too far. I would have liked to see her really channel Killmonger. I know she burns Namor but that's not quite enough.
In the same way that T'Challa was an outside force, someone needed to be her outside force. I think M'Baku would be best, especially as he ends up becoming king.
I totally see what you're saying, that the conclusion of Shuri's arc doesn't feel as organic as it could.
I think the movie just changes its frame of reference, or rather Shuri does. Her redemption moment is her deciding that she's not Killmonger in Black Panther; she's T'Challa in Civil War. That final scene is parallel to when her brother caught up with Zemo in Siberia and showed mercy, and her decision to do the same is how she honors her brother.
It wasn't perfect, but it couldn't be without Chadwick Boseman.
That's a fair point, although T'Challa gets to see Iron Man, Cal & Bucky fight, which I think is a powerful "Oh shit" moment.
I think instead of Shuri & Namor fighting solo they should have been part of the main battle. Then Shuri could have at least seen the war/destruction around her and that could have been the catalyst.
