The first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been released and it featured a tease of the next Black Panther, the introduction of Tenoch Huerta's Namor the Sub-Mariner, and so much more.
The trailer was released at the end of Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 and it was a very emotional one as it's the first time we are seeing footage of a Black Panther MCU story without the late Chadwick Boseman.
We are given a look at many of the returning characters, including Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Danai Gurira's Okoye, Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Ramonda, and Winston Duke's M'Baku. We are also treated to a glimpse of Ironheart star Dominique Thorne's debut as Riri Williams as she is creating an iron heart of her own.
It also confirmed that Tenoch Huerta will be playing Namor, a character first introduced in the comics in 1939. Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who is a mutant son of a human sea captain and a princess of Atlantis. He has been an Avenger, an X-Men, a founding member of the Defenders, and even fought alongside Captain America in World War II.
Namor is also considered Marvel's first mutant in the comics and has superhuman strength and endurance, the ability to breathe underwater, and has limited telepathic abilty with sea creatures and Atlanteans.
The smallest appearance by a new Black Panther suit was shown at the end of the trailer, but we still have yet to find out who will be taking on the role that was previously played so wonderfully by Boseman.
Marvel released a new plot synopsis for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and it is as follows;
"In Marvel Studios’ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death," the official description reads. "As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livanalli."
A new poster was also released that shows the new Black Panther suit, and you can check it out for yourself below.
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler took to the stage to begin the panel and shared a few words about the late Chadwick Boseman.
"It’s been five years since I was here," Coogler said. "Five years ago I sat right there and we premiered the first footage from Black Panther and the late great Chadwick Boseman was sitting with me. And the cast hadn’t seen the footage yet so when we played it he was excited and he grabbed my left shoulder with his hand and was just squeezing down on my shoulder and he got so excited and squeezed so hard and I couldn’t even lift my arm. Standing here right now, I can feel his hand on me right now.
"Chad is no longer with us physically but his spirit his passion his genius and his pride in his culture and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever. We put that passion into this movie. It goes to places of Wakanda we haven’t seen before, but it also goes places new."
The sequel to Black Panther had been announced early after the first film's huge success, but was "reshaped" following the death of star Chadwick Boseman. The role of T'Challa will not be recast, and Boseman will not be recreated as a digital avatar. The story has, understandably, been hard to predict until now.
The movie will also be missing Daniel Kaluuya, who played W'Kabi in the first Black Panther, but will introduce the character of Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne) ahead of her solo MCU series, Ironheart. We'll finally see what Wakanda Forever has in store on November 11 – and there's a Wakanda Disney+ series to come after that.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be the final entry in Phase 4 of the MCU and will be part of the newly named Multiverse Saga that encompasses Phases 4, 5, and 6. You can fill yourself in on everything that's been announced at San Diego Comic Con so far, Marvel and otherwise, with our roundup.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.