Lupita Nyong’o was considered for the new Black Panther

• Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
• The sequel sees Wakanda mourn the loss of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman).
• Writer Joe Robert Cole considered making Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong’o the new Black Panther.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has a challenging mission to complete Addressing the tragic death of actor Chadwick Bosemanas King T’Challa dies of a mysterious disease in the first few minutes of the movie.

The repercussions of his death reverberate throughout the story, as Shuri (Letitia Wright) and her loved ones mourn their late king while also clashing with… Namor (Tenosh Huerta) and the Talocan nation.

Shuri eventually learns to let herself work through her grief and embrace her role as Wakanda’s new Black Panther.

But writer Joe Robert Cole recently said Rolling Stone that the topic of T’Challa’s successor was a huge point of discussion going into the film, stating that they wanted to find the character arc that would hurt the most.

The writer explained, “We were pitching ideas, trying to extrapolate where the story goes and what would be the most impactful choice—what’s the best journey? And where do you go after the movie in terms of those characters? It was somebody who got kicked a little bit.”

Cole also confirmed that Nakia, Lupita Nyong’o’s spy, was vying for Black Panther, saying, “That got kicked! Her name was definitely thrown around.”

Nakia could have been an interesting choice for Black Panther, especially with her experience as a spy, but the focus of her arc has clearly been around the setup. The final reveal of T’Challa’s sonToussaint (Divine Love Konado Sun).

Cole went on to say that Shuri wore the suit after her brother made more sense given her story, and it clearly works in tandem with the source material.

The writer added, “In the comics, Shuri is the Black Panther and there’s a natural, I think is the best way of saying it, becoming Panther. But you hit on all kinds of ideas. And you just want to make the best decision and do what’s best for the story.”