In Wakanda Forever, Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong’o just get to be heroes

Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a difficult time providing a stage for female characters. MCU fan watched over 10 years as many of their favorites remained in secondary roles while narratively vital and financially more viable men were given multiple sequels. But lately, slowly, women-led Marvel titles have been on an uptick in cinemas and on Disney’s streaming platform. It’s not just with Wakanda Forever: Black Panther, Wakanda’s The greatest resource to create a new MCU story is Heroines, unburdened from origin stories.

As liberating and helpful as the call to inner (super) girl power can be, it limits the number of stories that are possible for superhero women. The lives of women who are powerful and in danger is what we explore. Wakanda Forever Women are now the major players for the first-time.

Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death caused an uproar in Black nerddom. He was the original Black Panther. Two questions were raised by his passing. Who would take over 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 comic books. But inside the film’s production, the cast and crew reportedly mourned their friend and creative partner, and Wakanda ForeverThe final version of the ad shows that they will not overlook his absence.

Ryan Coogler was the author of The Wakanda Forever: Black Panther Joe Robert Cole penned the script. The purifying waters of a flood, water as a source of life, and water of the mother’s womb. While all of Wakanda mourns 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 mourn in their own unique ways. Marvel’s first film, led by women, emerged out of tremendous grief.

Image: Marvel Studios

It’s not the first all-female team up in the MCU, or the first female-lead film, but it’s the first to break out of a certain mold. It is Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff was brave enough to use her power and reach an agreement with the past. These noble pursuits are often overused, especially in stories about women.

In all cases, the same basic plot points apply. She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, WandavisionAnd Captain Marvel.Compare that with Captain America: The First Avenger. Steve gets super powers overnight, but he’s never made to question how to use them, nor is he made to feel badly about his past. Dr. Strange’s powers cure the inadequacy he feels after his hands are mangled and he loses his ability to perform surgery. The one male Avenger who goes through a similar arc is Iron Man: His power resides in his immense wealth, and he must decide how to wield it so that it doesn’t further damage the world.

In contrast, Wakanda Forever: Black Panther This section features four women in senior power positions. Okoye serves as the Dora Milaje’s general. Nakia, retired from the ranks of Wakanda’s most elite spies, starts a school in Haiti. Since she was young, Shuri led the Wakandan science delegation. As a nation, Wakanda’s respect for women resides in the many women leaders who sit on the high council and their position in military and spy neworks. These characters are not afraid to question their power or whether they have the right to. Should possess power, and no one questions why have that power — unless based on their individual failure. When they succeed together, there’s an overwhelming feeling of victory, not because of a girl power sheen, where becoming rooted in their identity allowed them to triumph over those who threatened it. It’s the victory of those who triumph by being who they are, not finding out who they are.

Wakanda Forever breathes this idea from its earliest scenes, as in when Queen Ramonda stands before the UN and says, “We hear what you whisper in your halls. The king has died. They are weak” — and then demonstrates for all to see that despite all its losses between Black Panther and now, Wakanda’s strength has remained intact. The toll of civic duty and personal sacrifice continues to impact each woman’s journey in Wakanda Forever. Although it can be enthralling to see young women take on their role, this is only one step of a long path. They are carrying the weight of heroes Wakanda Forever is consistently evident, and it’s exactly the thing that makes a hero worth watching.

Toni Morrison once said, “The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. This keeps you away from your job. You have to explain your reasons for being. You spend 20 years trying to prove that you don’t have language. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Someone says that you don’t have art so you dig it up. You dredge up kingdoms if you believe you do not have them. All of that is unnecessary. There will always be one more thing.”

Image: Marvel Studios

Something similar is at play when only the start of a woman’s journey is deemed the only portion worth telling. Misogyny will impact how others view a woman in power, but it does not define her — in the same way that racism impacts why Wakanda wished to remain hidden for centuries, but did not color how Wakandans live their day-to-day lives. If prejudice is the main obstacle a character has to overcome, it can make us miss what makes each person unique. We don’t see the shadows of her, what demons they must confront, or the things she needs to correct. That is the journey of being human, and it’s why people watch superheroes.

Nakia & Shuri are able to draw on their years-long relationship. They have been bonded through loss and sisterhood. This is the story’s driving force and spectacle does not enter the conversation. The story’s focus is two humans processing loss and learning how to live without the being who impacted their worldview most. For all the flying and laser beam eyes, it’s the self that truly inspires superhero audiences.

Wakanda’s strength have always laid with its women. If T’Challa stood as the country’s human embodiment, it’s only to show that clearly. Nakia gave T’Challa his heart, Ramonda his life, Shuri his armor, and Okoye operated as his number one in the field. Women are more than a story quota. They become human beings to be celebrated, afraid, and admired. Women like these should help continue the building of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.