The road to the sequel for Marvel’s billion-dollar blockbuster Black Panther (2018) has been a long one. Beloved actor Chadwick Boseman, who owned the role in the aforementioned Black Panther, as well as in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: End Game (2019), passed away in August of 2020.

The script for the hotly anticipated sequel had to be almost completely rewritten for obvious reasons, and became a love letter to the late actor that will, hopefully, add to the mythos of Wakanda and explore its place in the larger MCU. The effect Boseman’s death had on those near to him and on those who fell in love with his characters is seen everywhere. There’s a lot riding on this film, to say the least, and one of the items on that agenda is the matter of who will fill the Black Panther sized hole left in the wake of Boseman’s death. We already know that Marvel thought it was too soon to recast T’Challa (an opinion not shared by everyone), so the next to eat the heart-shaped herb has been anticipated and argued over ad nauseam. My personal pick: Lupita Nyong’o. She’s a fantastic actress that has proven her action chops. Sadly, if the rumor mill and circumstantial evidence is to be believed, the next to wear the claws will be Shuri (played by Letitia Wright), the late T’Challa’s sister who shares his royal bloodline. Given the size of the body in the suit shown in the trailer, as well as the near-identical white markings on the helmet, shared with Shuri in other images (see below) from Black Panther (2018) and in the new trailer, it’s a good bet.

This, of course, makes sense narratively. Why wouldn’t it be the royal bloodline to continue the tradition of producing the Ruler/Protector of Wakanda? Had this been made fact prior to the shitstorm surrounding Letitia Wright and her your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine stance on the COVID vaccines (and vaccines in general), I’d have been totally cool with her donning the Vibranium armor. Now? Not so much.

From Rolling Stone:

“An article published in the Hollywood Reporter last week (October 2021) about Covid-19 vaccinations in Hollywood named Wright as a possible anti-vaxxer. In it, an unnamed source alleged Wright “espoused” anti-vax comments on the set of the new film. The article also claimed that in December 2020, Wright shared an anti-vaccination video on her Twitter. The video questioned the success of a potential Covid-19 vaccine, as well as cast doubt on the quality and safety of other vaccines in general.”

Fans near and far, and even MCU co-star Don Cheadle reacted to the video she shared with the standard social media firestorm. In her defense, she did go on to say :

"It is not my intention to make anyone upset, nor am I saying don't take it. I'm just concerned about what's in it that's all. Isn't that fair to question?", as reported by BBC News. Fine. Sure. Question everything. I’m on board with that. However, the video she shared, long since deleted, was riddled with misrepresentations and baseless claims without context. So why share it before vetting it, especially with the platform you have? Most importantly, do you know better now? It appears not. While things aren’t overt in any way, she still has not stated whether or not she is for the vaccination or vaccinations in general. And while nobody has to do that, given her platform and the fact that she started this nonsense, it would make sense that she clarify her stance. Why? Because people have died. People continue to die. Over six and a half million have died but your mistrust of the subject is due to memes and baseless claims? Scientists the world over are trying to trick you? Nah. Irresponsible. Forgive me, but I don’t want that kind of energy embodying a character that means so much to so many.

Just ranting though. I firmly believe in body autonomy so long as it doesn’t physically affect the person next to you. In this case it does. I’m excited for the movie, and I’ll be there opening weekend for sure, dressed in some swag from the Way of Paman store. Let’s just say, the hype is slightly dimmer than it could be.

We miss you Chadwick. Rest in Power. ✊🏾

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in the US November 11th, 2022. Check out the trailer below: