Chadwick Boseman’s death in 2020 changed the course of the Black Panther sequel. After King T’Challa’s death in the first act of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, his family and all of Wakanda are left unmoored. They’ve lost their king and their protector. In the process of coping with the devastating loss and taking on Namor, a new Black Panther rises.
For those that have read the Marvel comics, it’s no surprise that Shuri steps into the Black Panther role. In the sequel, her journey to becoming the Black Panther is one rooted in overcoming her grief and anger of losing her brother and her mother.
At the beginning of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri races to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb in order to save T’Challa. The plant’s entire crop was burned by Killmonger in the first film. The herb grants its user all the strengths of the panther and takes them to the Ancestral Plane. Shuri is unable to recreate the herb in time to help her brother.
It isn’t until Shuri crosses paths with Namor that things begin to fall into place. Namor gives Shuri a bracelet that’s made with the branches of a plant his people used to become underwater creatures. Shuri uses this mysterious plant to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb.
Shuri drinks the herb’s essence and is taken to the Ancestral Plane. She doesn’t see her mother, brother, or father there. She comes face-to-face with Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Killmonger taunts Shuri, saying that they’re more alike than she thinks. He calls T’Challa “too noble” because he let the man who murdered his father live. He asks Shuri if she’s “noble” like her brother or if she’s going to “take care of business.”
Shuri becomes the Black Panther, complete with a new and updated suit. She is still dead set on killing Namor. Shuri gets her chance to end Namor once and for all in a brutal face-off. Just when she’s about to kill him, that’s the moment she has a vision of her mother. In the end, Shuri decides to be merciful. She doesn’t let vengeance consume her. She vows to protect Namor’s people and lets him live. “I yield,” Namor says to the Black Panther.
As the new Black Panther, Shuri has a lot on her plate. She decides to not rule as Queen of Wakanda and skips the coronation ceremony. This allows M’Baku to challenge her to sit on the throne and become the King of Wakanda. While a Black Panther 3 has not been announced, Marvel confirmed that “Black Panther will return” in the end credits.