Namor confronts Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever featurette

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is just one month away, premiering November 11, 2022. Much of the lead-up to the film has been spent discussing the large shadow Chadwick Boseman has cast over the franchise. His life and legacy can’t be extricated from the Marvel sequel, so instead, the cast and crew have leaned into honoring him every step of the way.

“We all suffered an incredible loss when we lost Chadwick,” says Winston Duke in a new featurette for the film. “Altogether, we ended up using those feelings to create something really special.”

The original big screen Black Panther “knew exactly what these images meant to the world,” Angela Bassett reflects about creating Wakanda. Director Ryan Coogler adds, “Chad was very much our artistic partner. I would spend time with him, just he and I, talking about where he wanna see the story go, how much he admired the other characters and the actors that portrayed them.”

There isn’t much footage from the new film that hasn’t already been seen in the trailers. However, the featurette does provide context for a brief, charged clip that was previously released, in which the rulers of Wakanda and Talocan face off. “I need to know if Wakanda is an ally or an enemy,” Namor (Tenoch Huerta) confronts Queen Ramonda (Bassett). Apparently, it’s not Wakanda that the underwater kingdom has its sights set on—but perhaps Ramonda’s country is the only thing standing in its way.

“The level of care creating this story is astounding,” Danai Gurira gushes elsewhere in the clip. “And so it really just felt like for all of us, to give it everything we have and more.”

“I’m so excited about the world being able to tap into Wakanda again, how each character takes on new challenges. And I’m excited about us honoring Chad,” Letitia Wright, the heavily rumored future Black Panther concludes the clip. “Yeah, he would want us to just inspire the world.”