Every key character we know appearing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The King is gone, but all hail the mighty king of Wakanda, whoever that may be!

Come Nov 11, 2022, superhero fans can look forward to an emotionally resonant entry that will expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), while also ending the current Phase Four, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

The sequel to 2018's Black Panther, Wakanda Forever promises to pay tribute to the tragic passing of T'Challa aka Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, and will bring back beloved characters, as well as introduce new ones into the MCU. 

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From T'Challa's family members Shuri and Queen Ramonda, to the long-awaited live-action debut of a famous Marvel Comics anti-hero (some say he's a mutant), Namor the Sub-Mariner, here is every character we know slated to appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

Shuri 

Letitia Wright returns for the first time since Avengers: Endgame as her fan-favourite character Shuri, the sister of the former king of Wakanda, T'Challa.

In the MCU, Shuri designs new technology and is the chief science officer of Wakanda, a position she cherishes much more than her royal status. 

Shuri is also a warrior who trains hard to succeed her brother because if he fails, she is expected to assume the throne of the ruler in Wakanda, and possibly take up the mantle of the Black Panther. Or does she? 

Shuri has been heavily rumoured to be the most likely candidate to take over as Black Panther in the wake of Chadwick Boseman/T'Challa's untimely and tragic death.

The princess of Wakanda does become the Black Panther in certain comic book storylines but whether that will be the same path she takes in the sequel, remains to be seen. 

Queen Ramonda 

Angela Bassett is an icon with plenty of recognisable films (and tv shows) over the last decade, but one that many young fans may know her for is that she is Queen Ramonda, the mother of T' Challa and Shuri.

It is said that Ramonda will play a bigger role in this film, especially as the interim ruler of Wakanda, now that her husband and son are no longer among the land of the living.

Ramonda will not only be the person to lead her country through one of the biggest threats it has ever faced, she will also carry much of the emotional weight of Wakanda Forever following her son's death. 

M'Baku 

Winston Duke's M'Baku was a standout character in the first film. In Black Panther, M'Baku is the leader of the Jabari Tribe and sceptical of T'Challa's fitness to rule, he challenged the young royal at his coronation.

He eventually lost but the two later built a brotherly bond. M'Baku has remained a loyal ally to T'Challa, even showing up in Avengers: Infinity War with an army to help him and the rest of the Avengers fight against Thanos. 

Now that T'Challa is gone, it is unclear if M'Baku will continue to support the royal family or if he will attempt to consolidate power for himself. 

Nakia 

The Black Panther cast was already pretty impressive to begin with, but the team took it a step further and added noted actress Lupita Nyong'o, who absolutely stole the screen as Nakia.

Nakia is a member of the War Dogs, T'Challa's ex-lover and also a former member of the Dora Milaje, an all-female member of Black Panther's bodyguard.

Having witnessed the hardships experienced by many people and growing the belief that Wakanda should actively help them, she was often sent on missions around the world. 

Since T'Challa's passing, many fans have suggested that Nakia could be the perfect replacement as she's got the motivation and the skill.

The recent trailers for Wakanda Forever have been very coy about showing both Nakia and who the new Black Panther may be. Are fans' hopes actually coming true? 

Okoye

After her beloved performance in the original Black Panther film, Danai Gurira has made several successful returns as Okoye in the MCU, and the upcoming sequel.

As the leader of the Dora Milaje, Okoye is expected to play a major role in preparing her country for war with the antagonistic kingdom of Talocan and its king, Namor.

Okoye has been a major link between Wakanda and the Avengers in the years since Infinity War, even partaking in regular conference calls with the superhero team following the Snap.

Okoye is definitely progressing to be a major character in the future of the MCU and Wakanda Forever will be perfect to set that up.

In fact, it is reported that a Disney+ spinoff series based on Okoye is currently in development. 

Namor 

Alright, one of the most exciting things about Wakanda Forever is that Tenoch Huerta is finally joining the MCU, and making his debut as Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Namor has been heavily rumoured as the villain in the film for months, and will potentially play a major role in the future of the MCU. 

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Now, unlike in the comics, Namor doesn't come from Atlantis, but is instead from the kingdom of Talocan, because who needs two Hollywood superhero movies about the child of a human and a female Royal from the mythical undersea kingdom of Atlantis?

But his status as the rightful King of the underwater kingdom still stays and guess what? Namor is a mutant and his mutant abilities are the gift of flight, represented by the tiny wings on his ankles.

He can fly quite fast and for indefinite periods.

Often, Namor will use his flight to burst forth from the water and smash into an enemy with all of his considerable strength, given his genetic disposition as being from a superior underwater species. 

In Wakanda Forever, the Talocans and Wakandan are bound to go to war with each other so we're finally going to see Namor's abilities on the big screen. 

Namora

Played by Mabel Cadena, Namora is the cousin of Namor, the King of Talocan and in this version, appears to be a leader of the underwater nation's army. 

Whilst not much else has been revealed about her, her presence could signal the arrival of Namorita, a clone of the original Namora who eventually joins the New Warriors superhero team. 

Attuma 

During the Wakanda Forever segment of Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con event, it was revealed during a full-cast line-up that Alex Livinalli will be making his MCU debut as Attuma. 

Attuma is a frequent antagonist to Namor. The comic book supervillain's powers include expert hand-to-hand combatant superhuman strength, agility, stamina, reflexes and endurance.

He also has high-level swimming and speed.

While Namor is currently being set up as the villain of the upcoming film, it may very well be that the threat posed by the evil Attuma will eventually unite the king of Talocan and the next Black Panther. 

Riri Williams

Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, will be filling the heartbreaking void left by Iron Man in the MCU.

In one of the biggest reveals from the Wakanda Forever trailer, Dominique Thorne is set to make her MCU debut as Ironheart, who in the comics is a super genius who designs a suit of armour similar to that of Iron Man's suit using stolen material.

Riri is poised to make major strides in Phase Five of the MCU, especially since she's going to have her own Disney+ series set to premiere in 2023. 

Ayo

Florence Kasumba will be returning as the Dora Milaje's second-in-command Ayo in Wakanda Forever.

Ayo serves right under Okoye and whilst her appearances in Black Panther have been small in comparison to the leader of the Dora Milaje, she has appeared outside of the Black Panther franchise.

Recently, Ayo appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, making her the only major Wakandan character to appear in Phase Four of the MCU.

Aneka 

After months of theories regarding the identity of Michaela Coel's mystery character, it has finally been revealed that she will be playing Aneka.

In the comics, Aneka is a combat instructor for the Dora Milaje who plays a major role in preparing Wakanda for a war against the villainous Doctor Doom.

In Wakanda Forever though, Wakanda will apparently be going to war with Talocan. 

In the trailer, Aneka appears to be a member of the Dora Milaje, though she dons a different armour design from her sisters-in-arms, indicating that she holds a different rank among them.

Everett K. Ross

The trailer for Wakanda Forever established that Martin Freeman will return as CIA Agent Everett K. Ross.

While it is yet unclear how large a role Freeman will play in Wakanda Forever, which already has a large cast vying for screen time, fans can expect this movie to be Freeman's segue into bigger things within the MCU.

This is especially since he will also be appearing in the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney+ series. 

This article was first published in Geek Culture.