‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer Pays Emotional Tribute To Chadwick Boseman

The cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman’s “passion and genius” as the trailer for the sequel was revealed at Comic-Con.

The footage sees the people of Wakanda mourning the loss of their king, and Marvel has confirmed the sequel will grapple with the death of T'Challa. "My entire family is gone," T'Challa's mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) says in the trailer, and T'Challa's sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), is seen staring into the distance and crying. We see a mural dedicated to T'Challa, and the trailer ends with a shot of another character in the Black Panther suit heading into battle, but their identity isn't revealed.

Boseman died in 2020 after being diagnosed with cancer four years earlier. Marvel decided not to recast his role.

In Hall H, the movie's director, Ryan Coogler paid tribute to the Black Panther actor alongside the Wakanda Forever cast, including Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Winston Duke. 

"Chad's passion and genius and his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever," Coogler said of Boseman, who starred as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther before returning in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. "We put our love for Chadwick into this film. We also put our passion. This film has a ton of action and humor. It's also a roller coaster of a movie. It goes to new places in Wakanda that we've never been before but other corners of the MCU," Coogler said.

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige previously confirmed the Black Panther sequel would not recast Boseman or digitally recreate the late actor because Boseman's portrayal "is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past." Instead, Feige said, "To honor the legacy that Chad helped us build, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."

In Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.  Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.

Wakanda Forever hits theaters in November 2022, concluding phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.