“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” trailer held together by a strong cast and beautiful cinematography

"Wakanda Forever Logo" by Josephzbazin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The quarterback of a football team is widely considered to be the most impactful position in the sport. They are the drivers of the offense and hold the most responsibility. Without a quarterback, the game cannot go on.

That’s what many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans likely thought in 2020, when actor Chadwick Boseman passed away at the age of 44 from colorectal cancer. How could there be a “Black Panther” sequel without the Black Panther? Boseman embodied the character so well that any fan or celebrity meeting him would salute him with the Wakandan X across the chest.

2018’s “Black Panther” saw Boseman’s T’Challa take on the mantles of King of Wakanda and the Black Panther, mirroring the Marvel Comics. Following challenges from foes from both outside and inside Wakanda, the character also appeared in MCU films like “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: End Game.” Following his passing, the character T’Challa was confirmed to pass away in the cinematic universe as well.

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Some thought it would be best to recast the character; however, MCU showrunner Kevin Feige put an end to that train of thought by confirming T’Challa would not be recast. So the question remained — how could “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” survive the absence of its hero and provide Marvel fans across the globe a suitable successor to the hit film?

Though we still have doubts on who the next Black Panther will be, the film’s trailer reassured fans that even without T’Challa, it will hold strong.

Nathan Steinman, a sophomore finance major, expressed his excitement about the upcoming movie Wakanda Forever.

“I’m actually really excited about this movie. I’ve been needing a good Marvel movie [because] they’ve been pretty bad recently,” Steinman said.

The trailer, similar to the teaser released in late July, opens with Wakandan characters mourning their fallen king and shows glimpses of conflict between the nation of Wakanda and K’uk’ulkan, called Namor. Namor in the Marvel Comics is from the legendary city of Atlantis, while the MCU’s Namor is a king of a fictional, underwater Mayan civilization called Talocan.

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While many doubted the change, the underwater civilization and Namor himself look amazing, with Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta already delivering a great performance as Namor in the trailer.

The action, cinematography and direction look superb, all spearheaded by young and brilliant director Ryan Coogler.

The music is sensational with powerful dialogues by Huerta and Angela Bassett, who plays T’Challa’s mother and Queen of Wakanda, Romonda. Actors Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright all reprise their roles in the trailer, with special attention to Wright’s character Shuri, sister of T’Challa.

Supported by the glimpse of a female Black Panther in the final seconds of the trailer, most fans believe Shuri will follow her late brother and become the new Black Panther, similar to a storyline in the Marvel Comics.

Noah Brody, a sophomore sports administration major, was doubtful in the beginning, but found the trailer to be perfect.

“Black Panther was my favorite character and I was wondering how they were gonna fill his part, but this trailer blew me away. Shuri and Ramonda look bada–,” Brody said.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” releases in theaters on Nov. 11.

Featured Image: “Wakanda Forever Logo” by Josephzbazin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.