The first Black Panther movie was both a watershed moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and superhero movies at large with its incredible scale and scope, bolstered by its all-star cast and the directorial vision of Ryan Coogler. A lot has changed in the four years since its release, however, both outside the fictional shared universe and within it. In 2020, star Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away, forcing the script and the plans for the movie to be completely reconfigured while the COVID-19 pandemic put strains on production. Meanwhile, Disney pushed full steam ahead on MCU related content on Disney+, meaning the MCU was speeding up at an exponential rate–not the best circumstance for an impromptu pivot on a tentpole franchise.
Now, despite these setbacks and tragedies, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has officially arrived–and, with both expectations and emotions running higher than ever, it would be difficult to really understate the weight this particular sequel is carrying. The question is, of course: Does it manage to shoulder it all across the finish line? The answer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, yes and no.