‘Black Panther 2’ first trailer unveils Marvel’s emotional return to Wakanda
Marvel is bringing fans back to Wakanda in the first trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”‘
The trailer is strung together with a lyrical motif of “We gonna be alright” from Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” moving between images of Wakanda’s aquatic environments, futuristic technology and what appears to be a funeral with crowds of Wakandans dressed in white.
“I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone,” Angela Bassett’s Ramonda declares.
A question lingers over the trailer: who will take on the mantle of the Black Panther? A figure is seen in the hero’s suit at the end of the trailer, though it isn’t clarified who is in the costume.
The footage debuted at the conclusion of Marvel Studios’ massive panel at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday evening, introduced by a group of traditional African singers performing a fanfare for the follow-up’s panel.
Writer-director Ryan Coogler, who helmed the first “Black Panther,” then took the stage to discuss the sequel, reflecting on the death of the series’ former star, Chadwick Boseman. Boseman, who played lead T’Challa, died in August 2020 after a private, four-year battle with colon cancer.
“It’s going to be hard to follow that up, but we’ll try,” Coogler said. “It’s been five years since I was here. I sat about there and we premiered the first footage from ‘Black Panther 1,’ and sitting next to me was our T’Challa, the late great Chadwick Boseman.”
Coogler shared that Boseman was squeezing the director’s shoulder while watching the first footage. “I promise you, I can feel his hand on me right now.”
Coogler also offered some information on the sequel, saying “it goes to new places in Wakanda that we haven’t seen before and it goes to new places in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
“Black Panther” stars Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke were then introduced by Coogler on the Comic-Con stage.
“It’s a labor of love, and I have so much gratitude to be a part of it and be able to share it with you,” Duke said of the sequel.
“It’s a blessing. We’ve all grown so much as a family, and it feels great to see you guys and honor big bro at the same time,” Wright said.
Series newcomers such as Michaela Coel, Dominique Thorne, Alex Nivilani, Mabel Cadena and Tenoch Huerta, also joined the panel. Huerta will portray Marvel Comics favorite Namor, the Submariner in the film.
“I’m excited and I’m so happy to be here,” Huerta said. “I want to say something really fast about inclusion. I come from the hood and, thanks to inclusion, I’m here. I wouldn’t be here without inclusion. A lot of kids in the hood are here looking at us dreaming to be here. And they’re going to make it! They’re going to make it!”
Coel commended the musical performance that opened the panel, stating that “It feels really special seeing the drummers and dancers. It reminded me what an honor it was to support this cast.”
Wright spoke to Variety in May about the significant impact Boseman’s passing had on the cast, stating that the new film is “an incredible honor” to the late actor.
“We honored him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise,” Wright told Variety. “And we just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie, so I’m excited for you to see it.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released in U.S. theaters on Nov. 11
