Letitia Wright has quickly become a rising star within the MCU thanks to her fan-favorite portrayal of Shuri in the Black Panther movies. Black Panther (2018) saw Wright making her MCU debut as Shuri, the princess of Wakanda and the younger sister of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Shuri then returned in the sequel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she took up the mantle of Black Panther after her brother’s untimely death. After the death of Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, many fans of the Black Panther movies were uncertain whether the franchise had a future with Shuri as a new Black Panther. Still, Letitia Wright says she’s “hopeful” about returning to the MCU.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE Magazine, Letitia Wright sat down to discuss, among other things, what kind of journey Shuri will have to undertake to make her return to the MCU fulfilling for herself and Shuri’s fans.
“The way we end [Wakanda Forever], it shows that this character is going to go on a healing journey,” Wright told PEOPLE, pointing out that Shuri is going to have to come to grips with being one of the last members of the Wakandan royal family following the death of her brother and mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett). On top of that, Letitia Wright highlighted that Shuri “has responsibilities as an auntie” after learning that T’Challa had a son, Toussaint, whose mother had been raising him in secret.
Letitia Wright Says Shuri’s Comics ‘Reveal a Lot’ About Her MCU Future
Regarding whether Shuri will return for any future Black Panther movies, Wright said that “the comic books reveal a lot” about Shuri’s journey as the Black Panther. As a comic book character, Shuri first debuted in Black Panther (Vol. 4) #2, created by Reginald Hudlin and artist John Romita Jr. in 2005. Like her movie arc, Shuri was initially created as a supporting character but would eventually train to replace her brother as the Black Panther in 2008-9.
In October 2018, following the successful release of the first Black Panther movie in February of that year, Marvel released Shuri, a new comic series by Nnedi Okorafor that focused on Shuri becoming the Black Panther while dealing with her brother’s absence from the throne of Wakanda. If those stories are anything to go on, it seems pretty likely that Shuri will return to the MCU in a future Black Panther movie. Marvel itself confirmed that “Black Panther will return” at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but they’re being incredibly tight-lipped about future plans for the character.
In the meantime, Letitia Wright says she’s just happy to stay connected with her Black Panther co-stars. “We spread out and go do our thing and then we collectively come back. Every two or three years or so, I see everybody,” she tells The News International. “I text Ryan Coogler all the time, check in with him and his family…I see Mama Angela [Bassett] all the time, awards season — giving her flowers, just making sure that she’s good.”
Are you excited for Shuri’s future in the MCU? Are you excited to see anything from the comics brought to the silver screen? We will all know more when the next series of MCU films gets announced.