The sequel to the thunderous Marvel hit “Black Panther,” which garnered $1.3 billion at the box office in 2018, finally reached theaters Friday, leaving many fans teary-eyed and slack-jawed. If you’re among the many, like myself, who trudged out of the theater ready to talk about every gut-wrenching, seat-shaking scene in the nearly three-hour film, these articles are for you. They spotlight some of the memorable moments and provide background on the movie’s origins.

How Did Chadwick Boseman’s Death Affect the Cast?

“Rebuilding ‘Black Panther’: How the ‘Wakanda Forever’ Family Fought Through Grief and Injury to Create a $250 Million Superhero Tribute’ [Variety]

The Variety writers Angelique Jackson and Adam B. Vary dive into the production side and talk to the cast members Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, along with the director Ryan Coogler and a producer, Nate Moore. They discuss how they learned of the death of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther, in 2020, following a secret four-year battle with colon cancer; how they channeled their grief into the film; and how Wright pushed forward after being hospitalized for an injury on set.

“The Women of ‘Wakanda Forever’” [The New York Times]

The women of Wakanda have not only built a sisterhood but a sanctuary to mourn, reflect and pray on and off camera. The New York Times’s contributing critic at large Salamishah Tillet offers an inside look on how the women-led cast members shed stereotypes about female inferiority, leaned on each other in moments of distress and inspired young girls across the globe.

“‘Wakanda Forever’ Alters How Superhero Stories Handle Death” [Wired]

A handful of Marvel movies view a superhero’s death as a revolving door of rebirth, the writer Graeme McMillan points out. Consider “Avengers: Endgame,” when characters who were once diminished to dust in “Avengers: Infinity War,” snapped back into existence. With “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige resisted calls to recast T’Challa. This shift allowed audiences to mourn the death of both the actor and his character.

What Happened?

“‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Does the Near Impossible” [The Atlantic]

In the first film, we entered the high-tech kingdom of Wakanda, hidden in plain sight by a protective shield in Africa, where T’Challa had to defend his throne against a long-lost cousin, Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Following Killmonger’s push to overtake the world’s colonizers with Wakanda’s indestructible vibranium, a water-mutant villain shares similar desires in “Wakanda Forever.” And along the way, we are introduced to new characters like Riri Williams, a young inventor whose technology is coveted by Western powers but hated by the water dwellers. If it sounds like a lot to cover, the writer David Sims says the filmmakers deliver: “‘Wakanda Forever’ is fueled by intricate world-building, stunningly designed sets and costumes, and an interest in the geopolitical implications of superheroism that’s far more nuanced than most Marvel movies allow.”

“‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Review: Women on the Home Front” [The New York Times]

As the co-chief critic A.O. Scott puts it in his review, “Wakanda has become, at least for the moment, a matriarchy,” and amid family loss, new vibranium technology and violent attacks from under the sea, Queen Ramonda (Bassett), Shuri (Wright) and the Dora Milaje warriors find innovative ways to tackle new challenges while mourning their empathetic leader, T’Challa. Does it work? It’s “a Marvel movie, for sure,” Scott writes. “But a pretty interesting one, partly because it’s also a Ryan Coogler film, with the director’s signature interplay of genre touchstones, vivid emotions (emphasized by Ludwig Goransson’s occasionally tooth-rattling score) and allegorical implications.”

“‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Review: A Sumptuous Elegy for a King” [Entertainment Weekly]

If you’re looking just to relive the high-tension opening scene, moments of comic relief by the Jabari tribe leader M’Baku (played by Winston Duke) or the epic battles between the Dora Milaje and the water-mutant creatures, Leah Greenblatt provides play-by-plays of the most eye-catching moments. In the end, she gives the movie a B-plus, writing, “While a ‘Black Panther’ without Boseman is undoubtedly nothing like the film’s creators or any of its cast wanted it to be, the movie they’ve made feels like something unusually elegant and profound at the multiplex.”

Who Is Namor?

“Who Is Namor, the ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Villain?” [New York Times]

In Marvel Comics No. 1, the underwater overlord Namor is introduced as the leader of a water-breathing army in the underwater kingdom Atlantis. With pointed ears and flapping wings at his ankles, the antihero speeds on land and sea trying to “be the scourge of the surface world,” George Gene Gustines writes. As in the comics, Namor onscreen aims to drown his rivals and any bystanders who stand in his path

“‘They erase everything’: For this ‘Black Panther 2’ Star, Representation is Resistance” [Los Angeles Times]

When Coogler considered casting Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, he thought about Huerta’s Indigenous, Mesoamerican identity and passion for race-related causes in Mexico. “He feels like he’s one of us,” Coogler told The Los Angeles Times. This profile emphasizes the importance of media representation of Indigenous communities and Latin American pride.

“The Mesoamerican Influences Behind Namor From ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’”
[Smithsonian Magazine]

The half-human Namor leads an underwater civilization, Talokan, with Mesoamerican influences. (In the comics, it was Atlantis, which had Greek mythology origins.) Namor’s murderous pursuit of world domination, though, is rooted in his unshakable devotion to his people. The writer Nili Blanck and the archaeologist Kurly Tlapoyawa provide context on the Mesoamerican history and identity incorporated into the fictional film, as well as the stereotyping that can result when conflating Aztec and Mayan cultures.

Who Is New in the Cast?

“How ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Introduces Dominique Thorne as Ironheart” [Entertainment Weekly]

Dominique Thorne joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Riri Williams, an M.I.T. prodigy also known as Ironheart, who teams up with Shuri and the Dora Milaje general Okoye (Danai Gurira). Like Shuri, she serves as an inspiration for young Black girls interested in STEM fields. Devan Coggan speaks with Thorne about the deep-water stunts and superhero training she underwent in the new role.

“In ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Who Is Aneka?” [Collider]

According to the comics, Aneka is a Dora Milaje instructor who is tasked with preparing the warriors for battle and who falls in love with warrior Ayo. As Lloyd Farley explains, Michaela Coel takes over the role for the big screen, adding to the gilded cast of Wakandan women.

What’s Next?

“‘Black Panther 3’: Kevin Feige Says ‘These Characters Deserve to Continue’” [Collider]

While fans have speculated on the likelihood of a “Black Panther 3,” Shrishty Mishra writes that no bread crumbs were left after a San Diego Comic-Con presentation about the movie in July, and Coogler has vowed to focus on “Wakanda Forever” before he has time to “think about what’s next.” In the meantime, fans can look forward to spinoffs like the “Ironheart” series, which will debut on Disney+ in 2023.

What’s Your Take?

If you’ve seen “Wakanda Forever,” let us know what you thought of the film in the comments.