By the end of the movie, Wakanda defeats Namor and his army, thanks to the leadership of the new Black Panther, Shuri. But it's hardly a simple happy ending.
Does Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have a happy ending?
The end of the movie finds Shuri visiting Nakia in Haiti where she performs an intimate ceremony on a beach, coming to peace with the death of T'Challa. In the credit scene, Nakia introduces Shuri to Toussaint and explains that she and T'Challa decided to raise him in Haiti away from the pressures of the throne.
The format of MCU credits sequences has tended to be that there will be a more serious or story-focused mid-credits scene, followed by a throwaway gag in the final post-credits scene. There is no post-credits sequence on Wakanda Forever, just the words "Black Panther Will Return".
Is there a post ending scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever post-credits scene is a continuation from the final scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which sees Shuri visit Nakia in Haiti, where she burns her funeral ceremonial robe in a fire on the beach like her mother, Ramonda, wanted.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Post Credits ENDING EXPLAINED + What's Next for [SPOILER]
Does Black Panther have 2 post credits?
After the screen goes to black, a message reads: "Dedicated to our friend Chadwick Boseman." At the very end of the credits comes a tease for the future: "Black Panther will return." Producer Nate Moore has explained why the film only has one post-credits scene.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced one new young character to the MCU, and could be hinting at a bright future for T'Challa's son, Toussaint. T'Challa's son, Toussaint, was introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, setting up a bright future for the MCU's young prince.
Not every movie can make me cry before the opening credits roll, but not every movie loses its star seven months before filming. Somehow, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” manages to both continue the themes of colonialism and imperialism from the first movie, but also craft a raw, complex portrayal of grief.
'Wakanda Forever' Gets 'Emotional' First Reactions: 'Beautiful Tribute' to Chadwick Boseman. Tommy McArdle is an editorial assistant on the Movies team at PEOPLE. Tommy joined PEOPLE in 2022. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever left a lasting impact on the first audience to see it.
Boseman died from colorectal cancer at the age of 43, throwing the original trajectory of his character's script off the rails, forcing Marvel to revise the film's plot. As Boseman's character, T'Challa, is dying, his sister Shuri is in her lab, desperately trying to save his life.
As it currently stands, there is no Black Panther 3 release date, since Marvel is yet to officially confirm the sequel. Assuming that does happen, then the sequel is still likely a few years off. The MCU has grown to be more expansive, and already has a packed slate running that includes movies releasing in 2026.
Namor utters his catchphrase from the comic books, "imperius rex," but Shuri counters with a triumphant "Wakanda Forever!" and blows them both up. Namor, the child without love. With Namor apparently defeated as she holds a spear to his throat, Shuri finds herself thinking back over the events of the film.
As such, Shuri didn't fight for the Wakandan throne because she understood it wasn't right for her to do so at the time - and this marks a pivotal step on her journey to accept grief and find some inner peace, making it the right decision in the long run.
Having achieved peace with Namor and allowed herself to truly feel, for the first time, the loss of T'Challa, new Black Panther Shuri (Letitia Wright) burns her funeral garb on a beach in Haiti, symbolizing the end of her grieving process.
Redditor UncleBullhorn commented, "The pacing was a big problem all through this movie," and although some may differ, the rhythm does feel uneven throughout Wakanda Forever. While some sequences feel fast and rushed, others feel slow and unnecessarily long.
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has some scenes that could scare or disturb children aged 8-13 years. For example: The death of King T'Challa is being mourned at the start of the movie. There's a funeral procession, and a woman cries over the coffin.
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending illustrates a couple of different themes. On the one hand, it is a message about grief. The scene is a reminder of all the unfathomable losses that Shuri has faced in her young life. However, it is also a reminder that there can still be growth, beauty, and rebirth after loss.
At the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Nakia reveals to Shuri that she became pregnant with T'Challa's baby before he died and had his child, whom she raised in secret in Haiti.
While at odds with fundamental values of secrecy, there was no denying that there was an underlying romantic connection shared between the two during their scenes. Editor Shawver now reveals that our instincts were spot on, there had been a discussion about seeing the pair romantically linked.
So to recap. Shuri is 18 years old in Black Panther, 20 years old in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and around 21 in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In 2018, Nakia, pregnant with her son, was kept away when the battle with aliens occurred. She and her son then survived the Snap. After learning that T'Challa and Shuri had disappeared, she and her son, without telling anyone, moved to Haiti.
During a subsequent duel with T'Challa, Killmonger is killed by Monica Rambeau, whom he had previously captured and imprisoned. Killmonger's young son is last seen swearing vengeance against Black Panther, much like N'Jadaka had done years earlier after the death of his own father.
In the spirit of moving forward, Nakia walks out with a young boy, whom she introduces to Shuri as Toussaint, her son. She explains that he was born shortly after the Blip, and that she and T'Challa agreed that he should be raised away from the pressures of the throne.
