So here’s the line-up of upcoming Marvel films:
Spider-Man: Homecoming,
Thor: Ragnarok,
Black Panther.
Now, we’re all excited for Homecoming, but we’ve all seen Spider-Man do his thing before. Sure they’re changing things up, having him as a sophomore in High School and giving us a new actor to portray the web-slinging hero, but the film is still more or less something we’ve seen before. Thor: Ragnarok, alternatively, is a character we’re more than familiar with, having now seen Chris Hemsworth play him four times previously, but he’s in a completely new circumstance on the cosmic side of things, so while we’re excited for something different, it’s still somewhat familiar.
ALSO RELATED: CONFIRMATION SHURI IS IN BLACK PANTHER
And then we get Black Panther. We have a passing familiarity with him, as we’ve already met him in Captain America: Civil War, but the film will also give us something absolutely, positively, 100% completely new, showing us Wakanda, the technology of Wakanda and a wholly African nation that’s kept itself isolated as it developed the world’s greatest technology. At the head of this nation is King T’Chaka, who’s recently been assassinated, so his son, Prince T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, is rising to take the throne. And right behind him is his sister, Princess Shuri, who herself goes on to become the Black Panther at some point.
Princess Shuri, for the film, will be played by actress Letitia Wright. Due to the deal we understand Chadwick Boseman to have in place, it’s unlikely that Shuri will take over the Black Panther mantle anytime soon. However, in an interview with Interview Magazine, the actress certainly paints a picture of a character who absolutely could lead the nation. As she says —
She’s princess of Wakanda, but also she designs all of the new technology there. She has an innovative spirit and an innovative mind, and she wants to take Wakanda to a new place. Also, she has a great fashion sense, better than mine. She’s so vibrant; a beautiful spirit, but also so focused on what she does. And that’s good for other people to see, especially young people to see, because it’s like, “Look, there’s a young black girl who loves technology and she’s from Africa.” It’s something refreshing.
Can we get an “Amen” to that? As we’ve seen with the wild success of Wonder Woman and the reactions many have had to the film, representation is vitally important. WHO KNEW?? So yes, it’s absolutely crucial that we see a strong, black female leading a country, loving science and kicking every last ounce of ass that needs kicking.
RELATED: We Need More Women Behind the Scenes in Entertainment Media
Beyond that, it also appears that Shuri is one of the more important tech and fashion designers in Wakanda. If this holds true on screen as it does in the comics, both she and her brother T’Challa will be able to run circles around Tony Stark or, at the very least, totally hold their own. T’Challa is often seen as one of the more intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe, so if the MCU is putting Shuri on par with him, then we can absolutely expect greatness from Shuri.
As if we ever expected anything less.
He has two cats and knows all things about Doctor Strange but little else.
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