Since Chadwick Boseman’s passing in August of 2020, family, friends and dedicated fans have been mourning the loss of him and Black Panther both. Marvel has come forward to announce that plans were made to revamp the Black Panther sequel as a way to honor Chadwick and everything he did for the MCU in his role as King T’Challa. The sequel is now titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and plans to focus on the nation as a whole, rather than recasting T’Challa and moving on from Chadwick’s legacy.

There aren’t too many details about the sequel just yet and nobody knows when exactly it will take place, or what characters from the first installment will be back to reprise their previous roles. Some fan-favorites are expected to return, such as Shuri and Nakia, but there hasn’t been much talk about whether or not Danai Gurira will be back in the sequel as Okoye. Since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is meant to pay homage to Chadwick and Black Panther alike, excluding Okoye from this crucial turning point in Wakanda’s story would be a major disappointment. Not only have fans fallen in love with the brave warrior, they have also seen just how close Okoye was with T’Challa in the original Black Panther film.

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T’Challa harbored a lot of respect for the powerful women in his life, including his mother Ramonda, his sister Shuri, his girlfriend Nakia and his close friend Okoye. It only seems right that Marvel explores the stories of these female characters, as well as the unseen cultural and mythological history of Wakanda, in order to do Black Panther justice.

Wakanda Forever is also meant to show the dedication the Wakandan people have to their country, so having Okoye take a backseat role, or removing her from the story altogether, wouldn’t make sense. Nobody is more loyal to Wakanda than Okoye, which fans saw when she threatened her own husband for the sake of defending her country in Black Panther. Okoye also played a part in stopping Thanos during Avengers: Endgame, meaning her dedication to fighting evil and saving the world extends beyond just her small country.

Marvel has officially announced that King T’Challa will not be returning to the MCU and nothing has been said about having another character take on the Black Panther mantle, for the time being. As a result, there needs to be someone at the forefront of the franchise who can carry the Wakandan nation into the future of the MCU, without overshadowing everything T’challa has done during his time as a hero. In the past, T’Challa has trusted Okoye to watch his back and keep his people safe, so there’s no reason to believe that Okoye would be any less loyal now that he is gone. Her dedication to her king and friend, as well as her country, makes her the perfect candidate to star in the sequel and continue protecting Wakanda in the absence of T’challa.

Namor Black Panther

Okoye is so loyal to her country that fans saw a moment of hesitation in the first Black Panther where she was afraid to leave Wakanda behind after T’Challa had been dethroned. Although Okoye doesn’t initially escape with Princess Shuri, Nakia and Queen Ramonda, she eventually realizes that Wakanda is not a place, but the people who live there. Okoye’s decision to stand with her friends in the battle against Killmonger proves that she cares about her allies and she knows when to speak out against the wrongdoings of people in charge of her country, in order to protect the civilians she would give her life for.

If Marvel decides to have another character pick up the role of Black Panther in the future, Okoye should still be an important ally to the next Wakandan ruler, because her experience in offering guidance to T’Challa would make her an excellent advisor, in addition to a great warrior. In the comics, Princess Shuri eventually took over as Black Panther once her brother was no longer able to fight, and nobody would be better at teaching a young woman how to rule her country and protect her people than Okoye.

Although it’s unclear which direction the MCU will take the Black Panther storyline in, Marvel needs to keep Okoye on board in order to show respect to the relationship she had with T’Challa. Viewers have only gotten a brief glimpse at what Okoye is truly capable of and they know that she was of great importance to T’Challa. It would be disrespectful to ignore the characters who played such a large part in making T’Challa who he was, meaning that Shuri, Nakia, Ramonda and Okoye should all return in the Black Panther sequel. Giving Okoye plenty of screen time in Wakanda Forever would allow the MCU to keep these popular female characters on board and acknowledge all that Chadwick and T’Challa have done for the MCU.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released July 8, 2022.

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