Over a decade in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies ahead of its release, and fans are still dissecting every frame of the acclaimed sequel. The legendary Angela Bassett's character had an expanded role in Black Panther 2, although she tragically perished at the hands of Namor during the second act. And Bassett revealed the texts that friends sent her after learning of Queen Ramonda’s death.
Fans were shocked when Ramonda was killed off during Black Panther 2, and Angela Bassett has been open about how she personally fought against that emotional plot twist. It ultimately moved Shuri’s story forward in a significant way, making way for her to become the next Panther. Although it turns out that Bassett’s loved ones felt similarly to her, as she shared while speaking with THR about her role in Wakanda Forever:
Oh, I love it. I love that friends, audiences have been so impacted by it. I’ve heard constantly, ‘I’m sad and I’m mad.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s how I felt.’ A friend texted me and said, ‘The theater is literally weeping.’ I was like, ‘I wish I were there. That’d be something to see. That would really be something to see and hear.’ So many texts. ‘Why didn’t you warn me? I couldn’t believe it.’ Or another friend, my roommate from college: ‘I kept saying, they have a Heart-Shaped Herb. Shuri will come up with something. She’s going to come back. I kept holding on until the end, because by some miracle, Ramonda’s going to come back. She’s going to cough.’ They wanted to believe that was not the end.
Same, though. After seeing Angela Bassett’s Black Panther character take the spotlight in Ryan Coogler’s sequel, it was truly heartbreaking to see her die during Namor’s assault on the Wakandan City. Still, I don’t blame the Waiting to Exhale star and her friends for having such a strong reaction to her being killed off in Wakanda Forever.
Ryan Coogler had a difficult task in crafting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s passing. The women of the franchise came to the forefront of the narrative, and Angela Bassett’s performance has been universally acclaimed. In fact, she earned an Oscar nomination, and has been getting a ton of accolades throughout Awards Season. And Ramonda's death might have very well influenced the emotional impact of her performance.
What is perhaps the most upsetting about Ramonda’s death in Black Panther 2 is the fact that we’ll presumably see no more of Angela Bassett in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then again, no one is ever really gone in Wakandan Culture. After all, Shuri saw a glimpse of her late mother in the Ancestral Plane during her final battle with Namor.
There are a ton of questions that fans were left with following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s release, including who would be leading the fictional country following Ramonda’s death. It was also revealed that T’Challa had a son, which should have an influence on that plot point in particular. We’ll just have to wait and see what Ryan Coogler has up his sleeve, and if Shuri and company appear in future Marvel movies like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is streaming on Disney+ now, and the next MCU movie hitting theaters in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania on February 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
