Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ending Explained (Including Post-Credit Scene)
The premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a success as it showcased one of the best MCU movies in a very long time. It was an emotional ride that allowed us to see different sides battling for supremacy in what was a movie that took us to the deeper part of the feelings of a new hero that has risen in the MCU. Of course, it also introduced a new character that is set to become an important part of the MCU as we move forward.
We know for a fact that Namor is one of the central characters of this storyline and was always the antagonist of this movie. But the thing is that the entire situation with Talokan is not simple, as there are a lot of angles to look at in this movie. So, with that said, let’s take a quick look at what happened in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and how the movie ended, including its post-credit scene.
Honoring A Fallen King
As all of us already know, the actor of King T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman, died of cancer a while back, and that left a massive hole in the entire Black Panther franchise. But the good thing is that the entire storyline moved forward and even acknowledged the death of the character at the very beginning of the movie.
We saw at the start of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that Shuri was struggling to find a way to save her older brother from an undisclosed illness. All of Wakanda’s technology and Shuri’s brilliance as a young scientist could not help her save her brother from this illness, as T’Challa perished off-screen and was given a hero’s burial. It was clear that T’Challa’s loss was going to be the one thing that would continue to overshadow the entire events of the movie as Wakanda had lost its leader and protector.
Shuri Struggles With The Past And The Future
A year after the death of T’Challa, Queen Ramonda resumed her role as the sovereign of Wakanda and was now the one in charge of all of the affairs going on in the kingdom. It was clear that her son’s death affected her deeply, but she was still more than willing to move forward for the sake of her kingdom, as she knew that the entire nation needed a strong leader more than ever, especially because other nations in the world were looking to take advantage of T’Challa’s death.
But while Ramonda was ready to move on from the death of her son, Shuri was not prepared to let her brother go. She was still trying to find a way to hold on to whatever memory she had of T’Challa and was not even willing to leave her work because she believed that she needed to find a way for Wakanda to regain its protection once more, especially considering that she was aware that other nations were attacking Wakandan outposts to get their hands on Vibranium.
Queen Ramonda realized that her only daughter was not herself and was struggling to let go of her memory of her brother. On top of that, Shuri was of the mindset that the only way for her to make sure that Wakanda could move forward was to rely on technology instead of the traditions that the nation had kept sacred for a very long time. And it was clear that she was not as easy to believe in the supernatural beliefs that the Wakandans have because she relied more on her tangible science.
Namor And The Secret Of Talokan
As it was clear that the entire world was looking to get its hands on Vibranium outside of Wakanda, an American ship was able to make use of a machine that allowed them to detect Vibranium in the ocean. That was when the team sent some of its agents and operatives to the area, only to come under attack from an unknown force that they believed to be Wakanda. This unknown force, who were people with blue skin, completely overpowered them and was clearly not willing to let anyone leave the area alive.
While Ramonda and Shuri were having a moment at one of the shores of Wakanda, a man called Namor arrived to tell them about what the surface people had been doing and how they wanted them to find the scientist responsible for inventing the Vibranium-detecting machine so that Namor can deal with the scientist himself. Of course, both Ramonda and Shuri were surprised to see that Namor was covered in Vibranium.
Riri Williams Enters The Picture
Through the help of Everett Ross, Shuri and Okoye were able to find out that the scientist responsible for inventing this machine was actually a 19-year-old college student named Riri Williams. After Shuri convinced her that her life was in danger, Riri agreed to go to Wakanda. But they ended up getting attacked by the FBI, as Shuri, Riri, and Okoye needed to navigate their way through Boston to return to Wakanda. And what was worse was that the people of Talokan, the very same nation that Namor led, attacked them.
The Talokan people overpowered Shuri and Okoye. As such, Shuri was forced to convince them to take her and Riri back to their kingdom so that the princess of Wakanda could discuss matters with Namor. And while she was in Talokan, Shuri saw how beautiful the kingdom was and how desperate Namor was to make sure that his people were kept a secret.
Namor, who has been around since the end of the 16th century, explained the history of his people, as they were exposed to a Vibranium-enriched herb (similar to the Heart-Shaped Herb) that gave them incredible strength and durability but forced them to live underwater. And Namor, who was transformed while he was still in his mother’s womb, became a mutant hybrid that had the ability to fly and was a lot stronger than any of the other people of Talokan.
Because Namor saw firsthand how ugly people could be, he developed a deep hatred for surface dwellers and vowed to protect his people from any kind of interaction with the other nations of the planet. This explains why he has never been seen before, as it was only when humans found out how to detect Vibranium (which also existed in Talokan) that they were forced to go on the offensive.
But at the same time, Namor wanted to keep the existence of his nation a secret but was willing to go to war with the surface, especially if he was able to convince Shuri and Wakanda to join him in his cause. He even gave her his mother’s bracelet as a sign of his good intentions.
However, Shuri declined, even as Namor threatened to kill Riri. Luckily, before anything could happen, Nakia arrived to rescue the princess and Riri. But she had to kill one of the people of Talokan along the way, as Shuri realized that this was an act of war.
The Loss Of A Queen
In retaliation for what Nakia did when she struck first blood, Namor and a few other people of Talokan attacked Wakanda and decimated the capital city. This led to numerous casualties for the Wakandans, who were clearly outmatched by their underwater counterparts as they weren’t as strong in terms of their physiology. On top of that, no one in Wakanda was enough of a match for Namor, who M’Baku saw was almost as strong as the Hulk.
After defeating every fighter that Wakanda could offer, Namor went to the palace where Queen Ramonda and Riri were working on getting the people of Wakanda out of the capital city. That was when Namor threw water bombs that flooded the entire building. Ramonda had enough strength in her to rescue an unconscious Riri while they were both underwater. However, this cost the queen her life, as her last act was that of heroism.
For Namor, this was payment for what Wakanda did back when Nakia rescued Shuri and Riri. He threatened Shuri that he would return to Wakanda with his entire army if they weren’t going to meet his demands. And the ball was on the side of Shuri, who needed to decide what she needed to do next.
A New Protector
Shuri, fueled by vengeance, decided that it was best for her to try to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb so that they could regain the power of the Black Panther. In doing so, she used the genetic material of the bracelet of Namor’s mother as it was made from a plant that was similar to the Heart-Shaped Herb. As such, she was successful in creating a synthetic version of the herb.
Considering that she was the one who wanted to avenge the death of her mother, Shuri ingested the Heart-Shaped Herb and entered the Ancestral Plane. But instead of finding either her mother or her brother there, she found Killmonger, who told her that it was her quest for vengeance that made him and her similar to one another.
Despite the fact that Shuri rejected the idea that she and Killmonger were the same, she still ended up with the power of the Black Panther and was now ready to prepare her vengeance war against Namor. But while the Wakandan elders were in awe of what Shuri was able to achieve, it was M’Baku who made the most sense because he wanted a peaceful resolution to this entire problem. Still, Shuri was too overcome with vengeance that it was clear that she wasn’t going to listen to anyone at that point.
Namor Yields
The Wakandans, using a large ship, were able to force Talokan into an all-out battle out at sea, as the goal was for them to find a way to trap Namor and make him weaker so that they could defeat him and put an end to the war.
In that regard, Shuri and Riri were able to find a way to weaken him as they realized that he drew strength from moisture. That meant that his skin needed to draw power from water from time to time, as this was what gave him his incredible strength. As such, they trapped Namor in a jet that had the ability to evaporate any moisture in the air to weaken him.
While Namor was able to destroy the jet, they landed in a desert with little to no moisture, as Namor had already become too weak to gain any significant advantage over Shuri in their fight. Their fight was closer than expected because Namor had been weakened while Shuri was fueled by her vengeance. And while Namor nearly killed Shuri with a spear, she turned the tables around and was about to deal the final strike.
But as Shuri was set to kill her foe, the memory of her mother flashed in her head. That was when she realized that she was neither her brother nor Killmonger but was an entirely different person. As such, she decided to spare Namor but forced him to yield in exchange for Wakanda keeping the secrets of Talokan safe. And when Namor finally yielded, the war between the two nations ended.
A New King (present and future) Rises
After the battle with Namor and Talokan, the Wakandans were able to return to their lives at home as Shuri bid farewell to a new friend in Riri. And while everyone expected Shuri to appear in the ritual combat to determine the new ruler of Wakanda, it was M’Baku who decided to show up in her stead, and that meant that the new Black Panther had recognized the leader of the Jabari Tribe as a better ruler.
Meanwhile, Shuri went to Nakia’s home in Haiti, as she was now finally ready to let her brother go after she burned the funeral clothes that she wore during T’Challa’s funeral. The mid-credits started rolling as we were serenaded with Rihanna’s Lift Me Up.
But right after the mid-credits, we went back to Shuri, who was on the beach after burning her funeral clothes. That was when Nakia arrived with a boy, who she introduced as her son. As such, it was right then and there that it was clear that, in the six years that Nakia was away from Wakanda, she bore T’Challa’s son and decided to keep him a secret from Wakanda so that he could live a life without pressure.
The boy was named Toussaint but bore his father’s Wakandan name of T’Challa. In that regard, it has become clear that the MCU is looking to continue the Black Panther legacy not only through Shuri but also through the younger T’Challa.
