2018’s “Black Panther” still holds the No. 1 spot among the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe according to critics (via Rotten Tomatoes). It serves as the first solo film for the character of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who was introduced to us in “Captain America: Civil War” and whose story continues directly after the events of that film.
During “Black Panther,” we see T’Challa struggle with the challenges and responsibilities of being a king in addition to being the Black Panther, seeing him nearly die and having to reclaim the throne from his cousin Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), which can be seen as a product of King T’Chaka’s earlier actions. Erik is a complex antagonist filled with hatred and revenge, but ultimately leaves a lasting effect on T’Challa, which inspires him to open Wakanda’s technology, overseen by T’Challa’s sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), for the good of the world. . T’Challa needed a lot of help throughout the film from Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Dora Milaje, as well as Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and her sister Shuri. Nyongo’s Nakia and Wright’s Shuri were incredible allies and provided T’Challa with much needed advice and support.
During press for “Black Panther” in 2018, it was clear that much of the film’s main cast had a great relationship, especially Nyong’o and Wright, as they even took to Instagram together to do a “Black Panther” rap. (via Entertainment Weekly). Nyong’o also confirmed what we’ve always assumed Wright looked like on set, given how fun Shuri’s character is.
Letitia Wright is like “fresh air” according to Lupita Nyong’o
In a 2018 interview with Yahoo! News, Lupita Nyong’o has shared her thoughts on her “Black Panther” co-star Letitia Wright. Nyong’o noted that Wright was “a ball of fire and fresh air” on the set of the film, professing his adoration for the young actor. She continued, “She has this ability to know who she is while asking questions about who she should become. It’s so cool to have both of those qualities.” The chemistry between the two actors is clear, especially when they interviewed each other in a Teen Vogue article in December 2017, talking about their early experiences landing the roles of Nakia and Shuri.
Both Nyong’o and Wright are set to return as their respective characters for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ with much fan speculation surrounding the idea that Wright’s Shuri could reprise the role of Black Panther from the late Chadwick Boseman. . Regardless, Wright specifically faced challenges on set this time around, including an on-set accident and resulting injuries and his personal issues with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It will be interesting to hear Wright and Nyong’o talk about their on-set experiences for the sequel film when press for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” begins sometime before its scheduled November 2022 release.
