Recently, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler revealed a rule he had while filming the next MCU film.
After performing remarkably well in theatres for Marvel Studios, Black Panther 2 finally debuted on Disney+. It expanded the realm of Wakanda while paying tribute to the franchise’s late main actor Chadwick Boseman. But before to the sequel’s theatrical debut, the most pressing concern on fans’ minds was probably who would actually succeed T’Challa as the Black Panther after his tragic passing.
While the Black Panther 2 previews provided a few subtle hints, Marvel was determined to keep the identity of Wakanda’s new defender a secret until later in the promotional tour, unveiling the new suit in its entirety only in the second video.
But after Ryan’s most recent revelation concerning a Wakanda rule, it now seems that there was one method to truly guess who the next Black Panther was.
Ryan Coogler Discloses the Black Panther Law
In his director’s commentary for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ryan described a certain guideline he used when choosing clothing for the Wakandan population.
This remark was spoken in one of the film’s final moments, which showed Shuri giving Riri Williams a send-off before she left for America.
Coogler laughed on the fact that Shuri was always dressed in black during the trailers and noted that only the Black Panther is permitted to wear the colour black:
“It’s funny, ’cause in these films, we don’t really let anybody wear black except for the Black Panther. It’s kind of like Wakandan rules in many ways. So it was funny like watching the… (laughs) Watching the trailers come out and people saying, ‘Who’s gonna be the Black Panther?’ And that image of Shuri walking in in all black with the necklace was always in those trailers.”
He added that after assuming the mantle, the Black Panther is solely seen wearing black, thus differentiating the hero from the rest of Wakanda in terms of attire:
“So I would kind of laugh to myself a bit, ’cause it was one of the few rules that we established in the first one and we respected in this one. You know, you don’t really see anybody wearing that color predominantly in Wakanda… Yeah, once the person becomes the Panther, you see they only wear black. Even when they dress casually.”
Only the Black Panther Dresses in Black
When recalling how the trailers for Black Panther 2’s marketing foreshadowed what would happen in the film, Coogler’s revelation undoubtedly gives fans a reason to giggle.
Shuri is the first Wakandan character to ever appear on screen wearing an all-black suit, proving that the director kept his word when he made this remark.
Many of the main characters in this sequel had new outfits, including a brand-new M’Baku played by Winston Duke and vibrant new Midnight Angel outfits for Okoye and Aneka.
But given the numerous rumours and ambiguities surrounding the identity of the new franchise’s main hero, this guideline from Coogler largely comes off as a hilarious fact months after Black Panther 2 hit theatres.
Disney+ now has Black Panther: Wakanda Forever available for viewing.