When Marvel Studios realized just how big Black Panther was going to be and saw it smashing every box office projection, they must have thanked their lucky stars that Avengers: Infinity War‘s finale took place in the character’s home country of Wakanda. It gave them the perfect opportunity to bring back the setting that audiences responded to so positively just two months earlier and now, with the studio beginning what’s to be a serious campaign to put the film in consideration for Best Picture at the Oscars, they’re reportedly eager to strike while the iron’s hot and set more of Avengers 4 in the sci-fi African state.
The news comes from @AtlantaFilming, a reporter who tracks productions shooting in the Atlanta area. According to him, “based on the locations and the casting it looks like #Avengers4 will have a whole lot more #BlackPanther in it than #AvengersInfinityWar. So that’s less a reshoot and more an addition of goodness.”
Of course, there’s the tiny fact that we last saw Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther dissolving into a big pile of ash. But given how well the film’s supporting characters were received (particularly Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Danai Gurira’s Okoye), I’m pretty sure nobody will be complaining if they get more of a focus as leads in the upcoming movie. Who knows, we might even get to see the fan theory that Shuri’s set to assume the role of Black Panther in T’Challa’s absence come true?
Having said all that, there is a tiny part of me that thinks that maybe it’d be nice for Avengers 4 to show us some new settings, but with the MCU having expanded over the years to showcase most of this world (and a number of other ones), perhaps seeing some new parts of Wakanda is just the ticket.