Marvel Studios debuted the first footage from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which teased Shuri leading Wakanda into battle against an unknown enemy. Following the record-setting debut of Black Panther in 2018, Marvel Studios quickly began developing a sequel with director Ryan Coogler. The movie was met with tragedy in late 2020 when star Chadwick Boseman passed away after secretly battling colon cancer for four years. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took the necessary time to retool without T'Challa, but Marvel and Coogler still decided to make the sequel to honor Boseman's legacy.
Most details on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have remained under wraps officially. Marvel Studios has confirmed that the returning cast includes Letitia Wright's Shuri, Danai Gurira's Okoye, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and more. And while Kevin Feige confirmed Dominique Thorne will debut as Ironheart in Black Panther 2, the studio has still yet to confirm the long-standing rumor that Namor is the villain as Wakanda and Atlantis go to war.
Now, Marvel Studios has shown the first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever footage as part of Disney's presentation at CinemaCon 2022, which Screen Rant is attending. The footage came as part of a larger sizzle reel for Disney's upcoming slate and featured a shot of Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia united at the front lines of a battle. The Black Panther 2 footage does not include confirmation on who Wakanda's army is preparing to fight, but this could be a tease of Namor's villainous role.
The first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever footage putting a focus on Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri is not too surprising. They will be three of the main characters in the sequel, which is elevating the roles of many previously supporting characters in light of T'Challa's absence. Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri leading Wakanda's army points to each of their prominent roles within the country. Shuri is heavily theorized to be Wakanda's new ruler during Black Panther 2 and the next person to wear the Black Panther suit. It's possible that she'll wear the suit in the battle teased during this footage but Marvel edited it out.
Since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's release date is not until November 2022, it will likely still be several months before those not at CinemaCon get to see footage from the movie. Marvel Studios only just released the Thor: Love and Thunder teaser trailer recently, which came with less than 90 days to go until its release. However, the original Black Panther had one of the longest marketing campaigns for an MCU movie, as Marvel debuted the first footage during the NBA Finals in 2017. This leaves plenty of leeway for when Marvel Studios will release the first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever footage to the public.
