We are just a week away form the theatrical premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and it seems this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be changed forever. With a new Black Panther set to take up the mantle and some new enemies seemingly knocking on Wakanda’s door, there’s a lot going on in this film that could set some much bigger stages going forward.
While the trailer for the upcoming film has revealed a whole lot of very quick glimpses of Marvel goodness, let’s take a look at 10 Marvel things I’d like to see in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
1 – Atlantis
Starting off with a no-brainer here. We obviously know Namor has a big role to play in the film and the trailer gives us some small glimpses of his throne and his people. What I’m hoping we get to see though is some big, sprawling shots of the beautiful city of Atlantis. There have been a lot of interpretations of Atlantic in the comics and every one of them is stunning in its own way. We could get some really great visuals in this film if we really get to explore this city.
2 – “Imperius Rex!”
Namore is known for a a lot of things, but after his green Speedo and his feet wings, his battle cry of “Imperius Rex” is one of the first that comes to mind. The cry doesn’t have a literal meaning but has still stricken fear into the hearts of those who have been unfortunate enough to find themselves in the sights of Namor and his Atlantean army for years. With Namor having such a big role in this film, this is another one that seems obvious.
3 – Shuri as Black Panther
Much has been made of the mystery around who it is in the new Black Panther suit. The obvious answer is Shuri, the sister of T’Challa and the next Black Panther in the comics. While Okoye and Nakia are also possible choices to don the suit, Shuri seems like the logical fit and seeing her take up this mantle could be both incredibly emotional and very satisfying.
4 – Powers of Djalia
Shuri doesn’t become the next Black Panther without bringing some special abilities of her own to the table. In the comics, Shuri is thought to be dead before she eventually returns from the Wakandan ancestral plane known as the Djalia. Her unique journey sees her return with some spiritual abilities, including a complete knowledge of the entire history of Wakanda. We’ve seen the Djalia in the MCU already, so this seems like a possibility.
5 – Hatut Zeraze
We’ve meet the Dora Milaje and the Wakandan war dogs, so the logical next step would be to introduce the Wakandan secret police known as the Hatut Zeraze. Essentially a team of special forces, this police force has been right in the middle of the action for Wakanda in several major events, including the war against Atlantis.
6 – Other Enemies of Wakanda
Of course, it’s also possible (and I think likely) Atlantis is not the only enemy at Wakanda’s doorstep in this film. Wakanda has no shortage of enemies and now that they’ve opened themselves up to the world and “lost their protector,” this would be a good time for them to reveal themselves. There are internal enemies, like Tetu, who could make a rief appearance here, and external enemies, like someone I’ll mention later, who could also be planted for the future.
7 – Hunter
One of those internal enemies is also an ally at times. After his parents dies in a plane crash in Wakanda, Hunter was adopted by King T’Chaka and the Wakandan royal family. He was eventually put in charge of the Hatut Zeraze and took the name White Wolf. Being white, he was always treated with skepticism and he grew to resent T’Challa while still keeping nothing but love for Wakanda. Obviously, he wouldn’t get the White Wolf name in the MCU, as that has already been given to Bucky, but he is a very interesting character and could add a fun dynamic to the films.
8 – Doctor Doom
And here’s the big one. Remember tose external enemies of Wakanda I mentioned? This is what I was talking about. Doom has attacked Wakanda on more than one occasion and, while I don’t think we see Doom play a huge role in this movie himself, I do think one of those fight scenes we’ve seen in the trailers could involve soldiers of Latveria, the nation ruled by Doom. Clearly, this is a character who is going to show up sooner or later. Might as well start planting the seeds now.
9 – Tony Stark
Yes, I know this one is very unlikely, but as long as we’re wishing here. We know Riri Williams is going to make her first MCU appearance in this film and the trailer even showed off her first Ironheart suit. With this character obviously being an Iron Man spinoff of sorts, it would make sense that she would take some inspiration from Tony himself. So, while it’s unlikely Robert Downey Jr. shows up to record new scenes for this film, perhaps we’ll see him in the form of some previous speech or hologram that Riri will be watching.
10 – The Illuminati
Yes, that Illuminati. Well, no. Actually, not really THAT Illuminati. Not the exact one you saw in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. They’re not really likely to show up again after Wanda did… well, what she did to them. However, it seems possible Doctor Strange could come back to his own reality with some ideas about how things should be run. And with the introduction of Namor, a core member of the group in the comics, it seems the groundwork could be laid for the Earth-616 version of the group.
Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.