Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marks the end of the fourth phase with the next phase of the MCU set to start up again in February with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It’s hard to believe that this phase had sixteen shows and movies in it. It was the biggest phase of them all, but there is no stopping this cog.
Marvel has movies and shows presumably lined up until the end of time, or at least until this cash cow dies. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set some things up for a few Wakanda-based projects, but it opened the door for other things as well. Let’s get to the spoilers and theorize what’s coming next.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
7 Namor Being A Villain Or Anti-Hero
It would have been another interesting twist if Shuri killed Namor. This would have shown she had some darker tendencies than her brother. It would have been wild if the MCU both introduced and killed off Namor, a huge character in the comics, in one movie but they seemingly backed off that idea. Namor is too important to cut out on a whim like that.
He will assuredly return but it’s not known yet if Namor will be a villain again or some kind of anti-hero. It’s hard to see him join the CIA for a mission as part of Director Fontaine’s Thunderbolts team which is comprised of some shadier heroes. Stranger things have happened though, so it is also not out of the question.
6 Nakia And T'Challa’s Son
Nakia revealing that she had a son with T'Challa is one of the biggest surprises in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It brings Shuri to tears knowing that part of her brother still lives on. His presence could mean that Nakia is done in the spy game, but even mothers have to fight. She could get recruited for some more spy missions, perhaps under Fontaine’s umbrella too.
It’s also not out of the realm of possibilities for her son to eventually take over as Black Panther in the MCU once Shuri retires or dies. This is thinking way down the line though as this child is only about six in this movie.
5 Riri As Ironheart
Ironheart has already been a confirmed MCU TV series in development for Disney+. Right now it is expected to air sometime in 2023, but things get pushed back all the time. Riri starts Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with a basic suit before upgrading to her full Ironheart gear for the final battle.
She has to give Shuri back the mech suit at the end when she leaves Wakanda, which could mean one of two things for the series. One, Riri could use the skills she developed in Wakanda to make a third suit of her own. Two, Shuri, or someone else in Wakanda, could call up Riri for a favor. Since there is also a Wakanda series in development, it’s hard to see Ironheart taking place there though, so the first guess is probably more accurate.
4 M'Baku As Wakanda’s New King
Shuri takes off for Haiti to say goodbye to her brother in her own way along with an excuse to visit Nakia. When it comes time for her ceremony to become the proper Black Panther, M'Baku shows up instead as her replacement challenger.
He wishes to take over the throne, which is also what he wanted in the first movie. This could mean M'Baku will become the next king of Wakanda. The aforementioned series based on the nation could be about him and his rise to power as well. Shuri never seemed like the ruling type anyway.
3 The Midnight Angels
Right now there is a third and final Wakanda-based project confirmed for Disney+. Okoye is getting her own series, but it hasn’t been titled yet. It will probably involve her as the team leader of The Midnight Angels given that she dawned one of the new mech suits toward the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Aneka is one of the pilots as well, so it is safe to assume she will be in Okoye’s series as well along with other members of Okoye’s former elite guard.
What, or who she will be fighting against remains a mystery, but there will always be enemies going after Vibranium in Wakanda. Since she saves Agent Ross in the end, he could be involved as well. Maybe Okoye will work with Ross and the CIA or some other secret government body like SWORD.
2 Shuri As Black Panther
Shuri taking over for her brother is something fans saw coming from a mile away. She becomes the Black Panther in the comics as well, so it’s not like this revelation came out of the blue. However, the trailers make it seem like a mystery. There are others who could have taken her place like Nakia or Okoye, which would have been interesting twists. They have their own roles to play in the future of the MCU though. It’s hard to say when Shuri will return as the Black Panther but rest assured she will be in some film or TV series.
1 The Ancestral Plane
The afterlife is one of the biggest mysteries in the MCU. Presumably, there are many versions of afterlife realms that exist in the MCU. For example, Valhalla is where warriors go in Norse mythology in reality and in the MCU. Jane Foster dies in Thor: Love and Thunder, but the final stinger seemingly shows her showing up in Valhalla.
The Ancestral Plane was visited in the first Black Panther movie as part of T'Challa’s visions. Shuri has visions of this plane of existence as well, meaning that some afterlife project for the MCU could be in the works. Maybe multiple realms will join together for a team-up including Valhalla and the Ancestral Plane.