Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit us in the feels and left us emotionally wrecked and healed at the same time. With the film celebrating its one-month anniversary, fans look back at some of the film’s most stunning scenes and a few controversial debates. Ever since Wakanda Forever‘s premiere, the subject of Shuri and Namor has been at the center of most discussions — whether be it as the contender of who’s the stronger of the two or about Shuri’s ascension as a worthy Black Panther or for Namor’s brilliant MCU introduction. However, the fandom clashes at one singular point in the ongoing debates — whether Shuri should have killed Namor in the final showdown.
Fandom Debate the Shuri v Namor Fight in Black Panther 2
There was not much left to discuss after the decision to pass down the mantle of the Panther was swiftly and assertively announced by Kevin Feige and Ryan Coogler. Keeping true to the comics, Shuri was to be the next in line to the throne and the clawed Vibranium suit. And the fandom was mostly on board with the idea, until Letitia Wright began stirring up controversy on the public front. Soon after, talks of Namor began flooding the internet as the century-old character and the comic world’s first and original anti-hero was gearing up to make his live-action debut.
The excitement which dragged the fandom to the theatres proved worth every penny and then some when Ryan Coogler stunned his audience into shock and silence at the tragic and condensed beauty of the film. But where all else succeeds, the Namor and Shuri dynamic fails to draw a unanimous verdict from the audience. While some claim them to be romantically compatible (a hypothesis that was vocally refuted by Tenoch Huerta Mejía), others claimed that the god-like mutant was nerfed in the final fight. A third faction now suggests that Shuri should have killed Namor in the end and debate has ensued over the ridiculousness of the idea.
Namor the Sub-Mariner’s MCU origin establishes him circa the 1500s when his tribe, after the harsh uninhabitable atmosphere of the surface drank from a Tlāloc-blessed flower, thus granting them the power to survive underwater. Namor, born of both the land and the water, reigns as the protector of Talokan and is often referred to as the K’uk’ulkan. The Talokanil mutant, in his debut stint in the MCU, has established the character as not only one of the most feared threats to be on the lookout for but also a god who is judicious in his rule and sympathetic to the plights of his people above all.
Fans Honor 1 Month of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
December 11th celebrates one month of the life that was breathed into the film that overcame insurmountable difficulties and obstructions thrown into its path. Black Panther 2 has been in conception since 2018, however, the unexpected, premature, and tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman followed by the indefinite halt of the pandemic had become challenges that tested the will and the emotional tenacity of Ryan Coogler and his crew.
Also read: “It honestly affects us more”: MCU Boss Admits Not Having Namor Movie Rights is Hurting Disney
Soon after, Letitia Wright‘s Twitter activity promoting anti-vaccination, transphobia, and the cancellation of the sequel film had thrown a wrench into the plans that were beginning to move in the underbelly of Marvel’s Phase Four era. Her on-set injury was the final straw. But the film did happen. Rihanna surprised the world by releasing her first single in 6 years. Marvel gained back its fandom’s trust once again. And the audience finally found the time to process the enormity of the loss and grief that shrouded each element of the film, its cast, and its story.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theatres.
Source: Twitter
