Here Are the Most Interesting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Fan Theories

We’ve all been desperate to return to Wakanda since 2018’s Black Panther changed the landscape for Black representation in entertainment. The passing of Chadwick Boseman left us wondering how our favorite characters would handle the loss of their king. The release of the first trailer blew our minds and ratcheted up our curiosity. MCU fans have a lot of guesses about what happens in the movie and how it affects the rest of the franchise. We’ve put together some of the most interesting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fan theories, so we can figure out which ones are possible and which ones are just pipe dreams.

There Are Multiple Black Panthers

With trailers and merch hinting heavily at Shuri taking on the Black Panther mantle, it seems a little too obvious for the Wakandan princess to be the new version of the hero. This has led some of us to guess that there are actually multiple Black Panthers. If Nakia, Shuri, M’Baku and Okoye are sharing the mantle, then the rest of the world wouldn’t be able to guess the hero’s real identity. This directly leads to the next theory that Wakanda may get more secretive again.

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Ramonda Closes Wakanda’s Borders

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explained how untenable the world’s refugee situation became in the wake of the Blip. This, coupled with T’Challa’s death, could potentially lead Queen Ramonda to once again close her country off from the rest of the world. In her grief, she could feel that Wakanda is too exposed and must isolate itself to recover from recent events.

Killmonger Returns

If you watched What If…? Season 1, then you know Killmonger has issues no matter what universe he’s in. Fans loved Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of the villain so much that they’ve been plotting ways for him to come back since the moment he died. Much like Loki, he’s one of those bad guys we want to know more about. Surely there’s at least one timeline out there where little Erik’s life worked out OK and he was raised to be a hero. Wouldn’t you love to see Michael B. in full hero mode?

The Midnight Angels

With Michaela Coel playing Aneka, fans have been going crazy over the idea that we might get a live-action version of The Midnight Angels. For the unfamiliar, Aneka was a rebellious member of the Dora Milaje who escaped execution and alongside her lover, Ayo, formed the Midnight Angels. Yes, to all of this! Yes to an Aneka and Ayo romance! And yes to a rogue, more aggressive team of Doras.

Robert Downey Jr. Returns to Voice Ironheart’s A.I.

In the comics, when Riri becomes Ironheart, she works alongside an A.I with Tony Stark’s consciousness transferred into it. Since we saw Tony leave Peter Parker access to a super advanced A.I. in Spider-Man: Far From Home, there’s no doubt that at some point he secretly put his own mind into an A.I. program. There have also been persistent rumors that Robert Downey Jr. wants to return to the MCU. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Armor Wars is set to make his Iron Man suits the center of attention.

MCU Cameos

Since Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the Infinity Saga, we’ve been introduced to a lot of cool, new heroes, while some old favorites have also returned. Since the MCU is so good at connecting its universe, I’m really hoping we’ll get a surprise appearance from an unexpected character like Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Monica Rambeau or Wong. Perhaps something happens that could lead to Luke Cage’s entrance back into the MCU? Look, just let me have my wishful dreams, OK.

A Black Panther Variant From the Multiverse Appears

With Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness opening up the possibilities for alternate versions of fan-favorite characters, there’s a very real world where we could see an unexpected variant of Black Panther. Whether it’s someone we know taking on the mantle or a completely new character, it’s something Marvel Studios could use to move the overall arc of the Multiverse Saga forward.

Doctor Doom Is the Real Villain

This is the most popular fan theory floating around and it’s also the least likely to happen. Though trailers and TV ads are trying to sell us on Namor as the villain, it seems highly unlikely that this is actually the case. This feels like a story where someone is pulling the strings to get these two countries to fight, so they can pick up the pieces after a massive war. This is definitely something Doctor Doom would do. However, I just don’t think Kevin Feige would introduce Doom as a surprise villain without any fanfare or casting announcements.

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