Nate Moore, the producer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, outlines where the planned sequel fits into the greater MCU timeline. Following the triumph of 2018’s Black Panther, filmmaker Ryan Coogler returns to lead the long-awaited sequel, which finds Wakanda contending with a new threat while simultaneously mourning the passing of King T’Challa. Following the sad death of lead character Chadwick Boseman in 2020, a new figure will take on the mantle of Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Shuri (Letitia Wright), Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), and M’Baku will all return in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Winston Duke).
The release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows other recent MCU films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, and it is already announced to be the final installment in Phase 4. Phase 5 begins next year with the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which also will continue the Multiverse Saga. The epic saga will finish with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will be released in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Nate Moore, the producer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recently spoke with CinemaBlend about when the next sequel will be situated in the larger MCU timeline. While Moore is unable to specify a specific year in which the film takes place, he does establish the film’s chronological relationship to MCU films such as Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Moore’s complete response is below:
“This movie clearly happens after No Way Home and Eternals. I think it probably happens potentially concurrent with [Thor: Love and Thunder]. New Asgard does exist in our universe, for instance, or in our film. And almost concurrent with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is coming out in February.”
What Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Release Date Means For MCU Phase 5
The trailers of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hint that the film will serve as a respect to Boseman while also establishing the next Black Panther hero. In contrast, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania appears to have a significant amount of heavy lifting to do in terms of the greater MCU, with the movie confirmed to set up Jonathan Majors’ Kang, who will apparently be the key villain for the remainder of MCU Phases 5 and 6. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever establishing T’Challa’s successor, subsequent MCU films are unlikely to acknowledge the new hero until after the events in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
One of the concerns leveled about Phase 4 of the MCU is that a large number of films do not appear to be linked to a larger plot. Thor: Love and Thunder was the most latest movie to be chastised for this, and it’s unclear how much that film will tie to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever beyond acknowledging the existence of New Asgard. A number of doubts remain about how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would set up future events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Moore’s statement confirms that the picture will be at least loosely tied to Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Source: CinemaBlend