In Wakanda Forever, Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong’o simply become heroes

The Marvel Cinematic Universe struggles to create an appropriate stage for its female characters. For 10 years, MCU fans watched as some of their favorite characters stayed in supporting roles while the supposedly more financially viable and narratively significant men had multiple sequels. But lately, female-led Marvel titles have been slowly increasing in theaters and on Disney’s streaming platform. And with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Wakandas The greatest resource is being realized to forge a first in MCU history: heroines unencumbered by the origin story.

The appeal to the girl’s inner (super)power, liberating as it may be, limits the scope of stories viable for women in the superhero genre. By exploring the lives of powerful women in unimaginable peril, Wakanda forever turns women into really big players for the first time.

The untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, who originally played the Black Panther, caused a tide of emotion throughout the black nerd community. His death raised two questions. Who would take the mantle and would Marvel decide to recast T’Challa? Some fans feared what an MCU would look like without King T’Challa, a seminal character in the Marvel Comics. But amid the film’s production, the cast and crew were reportedly grieving the loss of their friend and creative partner and Wakanda foreverin its final form, shows that they would not gloss over its absence.

Ryan Coogler who wrote this Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Screenplay co-written with Joe Robert Cole, explored this grief through water. The cleansing waters of a flood, water as the source of life, and water from the womb. As all of Wakanda mourns the death of T’Challa, it’s the women in his life who do the heavy lifting for the audience. T’Challa’s mother Ramonda, his sister Shuri, his partner Nakia, and his general Okoye all grieve in their own ways. Marvel’s first female-led film was born out of great sadness.

It’s not the first all-female team in the MCU or the first film to have a female lead, but it’s the first to break out of a certain mold. in the Black widow, Natasha Romanoff had the courage to use her power and make peace with the past. Noble pursuits, but overused in this genre, especially in stories about women.

The same basic plot points emerge She Hulk, Mrs. Miracle, wall visionand Captain Marvel. Compare that to this Captain America: The First Avenger. Steve gets superpowers overnight, but he never has to wonder how to use them, nor does he have to feel bad about his past. dr Strange’s powers heal the inadequacy he feels after his hands are mutilated and he loses his ability to perform surgeries. The only male Avenger to go through a similar arc is Iron Man: his power lies in his immense wealth, and he must choose how to use it lest he cause further harm to the world.

In contrast, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shows four women who hold veteran positions of power. Okoye leads Dora Milaje’s warriors as their general. Nakia, who has retired from the ranks of Wakanda’s most elite spies, starts a school in Haiti. Shuri has led Wakanda’s science delegation since she was young. As a nation, Wakanda’s respect for women lies in the many women leaders who serve on the High Council and in their positions in military and spy networks. None of these characters question whether they possess power or if they have it should Possess power and no one questions why they have that power unless it is based on their individual failures. When they succeed together, there’s an overwhelming sense of victory, not because of a girl power sheen where rootedness in their identities allowed them to triumph over those who threatened them. It is the victory of those who triumph by being who they are and not finding out who they are.

Wakanda forever breathes this idea from her earliest scenes, when Queen Ramonda stands before the UN and says, “We hear what you whisper in your halls.” The king is dead. They are weak” – and then demonstrates that for all to see, despite all the casualties in between Black Panther and now Wakanda’s strength has remained intact. The toll of civic duty and personal sacrifice continues to impact every woman’s journey Wakanda forever. As captivating as it can be to watch young women step into their power, it is only the first step on a long journey. The weight carried by the heroes Wakanda forever is evident throughout, and that’s what makes a hero worth watching.

Toni Morrison once said, “The function, the very serious function of racism is as a distraction. It keeps you from your work. It keeps you explaining your reason for being over and over again. Someone says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving it. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped right, so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Someone says you don’t have art, so dig that up. Someone says you don’t have kingdoms so dig that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

Something similar is at play when just the beginning of a woman’s journey is seen as the only part worth telling. Misogyny will impact how others view a woman in power, but it doesn’t define her – just as racism impacts why Wakanda chose to remain hidden for centuries but hasn’t impacted how Wakanda go about their daily lives. When prejudice is the main hurdle a character must overcome, we overlook what makes them a unique individual. We miss her shadows, the demons she must face, and the wrongs she must right within herself. That’s the journey of being human, and that’s why people look at superheroes.

As Nakia and Shuri work together, they build on years of their relationship, bonded in sisterhood and loss. This pairing drives the narrative, and thus the spectacle never enters the conversation. The story centers on two people coming to terms with loss and learning to live without the entity that most influenced their worldview. With all the flying and laser beam eyes, it’s the me that really inspires superhero audiences.

Wakanda’s strength has always been in its women. If T’Challa was the human embodiment of the land, it was only to make that clear. Nakia gave T’Challa his heart, Ramonda his life, Shuri his armor, and Okoye was his number one in the field. When women are integral to history, they transcend a quota to be met and become people to be celebrated, feared, and admired. These women, and women like them, should be the ones who continue to build the Marvel Cinematic Universe.