The full suit design for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new Black Panther, who is set to debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has been revealed.
An image shared on Reddit provided a look at several new Funko! Pops, including one for the new Black Panther. Previously, only part of the black-and-gold suit was shown in Wakanda Forever’s first trailer and, while the identity of the hero remains unconfirmed, the mask of the costume exactly matches the face paint design worn by Letitia Wright’s Shuri in the MCU.
Wright has portrayed Shuri, the younger sister of the late Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa/Black Panther, in the MCU since 2018’s Black Panther. The first teaser trailer for Wakanda Forever introduced Tenoch Huerta as Namor the Sub-Mariner, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart, and teased a new hero to take up the Black Panther mantle.
The identity of the New Black Panther is unknown, though there has been speculation that Wright will be the one beneath the mask. In a recent interview, Wright revealed that Shuri had discussed portraying the titular hero early in her Marvel career with director Ryan Coogler and Boseman.
Wakanda Forever began filming in Atlanta, GA on June 29, 2021, but production has paused several times since then due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film serves as a sequel to 2018’s Black Panther, which starred the late Boseman as King T’Challa/Black Panther. Wakanda Forever’s plot was restructured following Boseman’s death in 2020. ”
It’s clearly very emotional without Chad,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said shortly before Wakanda Forever began production. “But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We’re going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud.”
Along with Wright, the New Black Panther sequel will see Angela Bassett reprise her role as Queen Ramonda, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.
The film also stars Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.