‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Check out an exclusive deleted scene before Disney+ debut
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” brought one superhero woman into the Marvel Cinematic Universe spotlight, and a new deleted scene hints that another’s time is coming.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the female-centered sequel (available Wednesday on Disney+ and on-demand platforms) saw Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) take the mantle of Black Panther after the deaths of her brother (the late Chadwick Boseman) and her mother, Queen Ramonda (Oscar nominee Angela Bassett).
At the same time, Wakandan warrior Okoye (Danai Gurira) faces her own struggles: When Shuri is kidnapped on Okoye’s watch by the underwater forces of new antagonist Namor (Tenoch Huerta MejÃa), Ramonda angrily strips Okoye of her leadership of the Dora Milaje.
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Premiering exclusively at usatoday.com, the deleted scene is from the ending of the movie, after the new Black Panther and the Wakandans – including Okoye in a spiffy, high-tech Midnight Angel supersuit she hates – defeat Namor’s Talokan kingdom. Shuri is being dropped off at the Haitian home of Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) when Okoye steps out from across the road for one last goodbye and tells Shuri she’ll be there for her “anytime, anywhere.”
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The actress told USA TODAY last November that with “Wakanda Forever,” Coogler wanted them to “grapple with our characters dealing with great change.”
“We see the full expansiveness of their humanness and that they’re expanded and shifted and challenged,” Gurira added. “The knowledge of what my character’s role is in this world and how she responds to grief and loss and what she tries to do to hold everything down, it was a very challenging journey for her.”
And it’s one that doesn’t appear to be over yet.
Contributing: Anika Reed
Ranked:Every Marvel superhero movie (including ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’)