It’s no secret that Letitia Wright’s actions over the past couple of years have stirred unrest among the fandom and followers of the superhero franchise. The problem with big franchises in Hollywood is the increasing influence of social media marked by each person having a platform and a loud enough microphone to make their voices heard. Letitia Wright’s loud and confident stand on several issues that were increasingly controversial made her a dangerous liability for a juggernaut and a global platform like Marvel.
Letitia Wright Controversies Spark Concerns at Marvel
When 2016 rolled around, Chadwick Boseman was introduced into the mainstream cinematic universe in a capacity shrouded in mysterious allure. The story developed more in the coming years turning the actor into a legend, while the MCU deep-dived into the cultural ethos of Wakanda and its royal family. The stellar cast comprising the likes of Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, and Michael B. Jordan also then featured a young Letitia Wright, who portrayed the playful and intelligent Shuri, the princess of the nation blessed by the Panther Goddess.
However, by 2020, the structure fell apart when the actor-turned-legend, Chadwick Boseman passed away, much too early and tragically for anyone’s liking. Letitia Wright, who was close to the actor, as was most of the cast, expressed her aggrieved opinion by liking and retweeting a post that advocated the cancellation of the Black Panther sequel. To make matters worse, Wright was a vocal anti-vaxxer who helped in the propagation of a post featuring similar sentiments that also included transphobic comments.
For an actress who has been a part of the studio and one of its most successful films since 2016, it then becomes damaging to hold onto the actor, especially after the damning social media activity. But Marvel found that silence washes away controversies when people aren’t given enough ammunition to be angry with. Letitia Wright’s sudden silence then worked in her favor when she surfaced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever healed spiritually from the grief and trauma of the loss of her fellow co-star.
Justin Kroll Microanalyses the Letitia Wright Controversy
Deadline senior reporter, Justin Kroll, shared his expert and unabridged input on the controversy that put a blot on the impeccable record of Marvel Studios. According to his opinion,
“This goes back to the vaccination stuff. There’s plenty of people in this town that aren’t vaccinated, that chose not to do it. But they were also quiet about it. There were rumors about some movie stars but they never said one way or the other. With [Letitia Wright], her videos were kinda disruptional… And people talk in this town. They’re at the various restaurants, they’re bringing it up, and all I know is that once she started being vocal, you didn’t hear her name for stuff.
And that’s the thing — you can do certain things in this town, you can be crazy and a jerk in this town and still get names but when you start doing stuff where it’s public and the audience is wary about you, that’s when the studio execs get wary about you. And the vaccination thing was very touchy… When you’re a young star, you wanna make sure you’re getting meetings, and when you’re losing meetings, that doesn’t help you in your trajectory. Doesn’t mean after Black Panther [Wakanda Forever, it won’t change…”
Matthew Belloni, the host of the Spotify original podcast, The Town, added to that saying,
“The Black Panther sequel production was absolutely disrupted by some of the stuff that she did. She went to the UK, and there were questions about whether she could come back. So, it was a pain for Marvel, I know that.”
Whether the controversies follow the Black Panther cast home to Marvel or if the film’s success can override the negativity remains to be tested by Ryan Coogler’s mastery of storytelling.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres on 11 November 2022.
Source: The Town
