The Marvel Cinematic Universe is approaching a precipice. With Thor: Ragnarok now in theaters and making tons of money at the box office, there's just one more blockbuster left until Avengers: Infinity War finally arrives. And that film is none other than Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, which will expand the shared universe by bring us to the fictional country of Wakanda. In the comics, Wakanda is the home for the powerful metal vibranium, aka what Captain America's shield and Black Panther's suit are made of. Wakanda uses the material to create some futuristic weapons and vehicles, and star Chadwick Boseman recently revealed how T'Challa's sister Shuri is basically the Tony Stark of the country. He said,
If anyone doesn't think there's a place for women in tech, it's completely demolished in this movie. Her role is the most important. In the comic book, T'Challa is a scientist and a king, but my sister is the whiz kid. She is the one with that gift. She's the Tony Stark of Wakanda. She's witty, she's cool, she's funny. Now T'Challa is good in science too, but she's the whiz. That's the way the story's been told forever. T'Challa is technologically sound. He's a scientist as well, but she's the minister of technology.
It looks like Shuri is going to be one of the many fascinating new characters presented in Black Panther. And in addition to being T'Challa's sister, the newcomer will be crafting exciting new weaponry for the country that will no doubt become even more valuable once Thanos comes knocking.
Chadwick Boseman's comments to C Net will no doubt excite hardcore Marvel fans. Because although Black Panther will be introducing us to a ton of new characters and conflicts, there are still moments that will harken back to some of the OG members of the MCU. Like, say, the man who started it all: Tony Stark. Now we just have to wait and see if the two tech geniuses will ever meet.
Actress Letitia Wright is set to reprise her role as Shuri in Avengers: Infinity War, so a meeting with Tony Stark isn't out of the question. It's currently unclear how she'll function within the narrative, or if she'll interact with the myriad other characters that The Russo Brothers are juggling in the blockbuster. While it would be great to see she and Tony Stark combine their brain power to help arm the Earth, it might be simpler to keep Shuri in Wakanda. Thanos' invasion is sure to include a variety of different targets, so perhaps Shuri will be shown defending Wakanda from the villain's forces.
Alas, we'll have to wait a few months until our questions are answered. Black Panther will arrive in theaters to introduce Shuri on February 16, 2018, and she'll reappear in Infinity War on May 4th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
