It’s ironic that after all of the backlash in the buildup to release concerning her alleged stance on vaccinations, Letitia Wright emerged from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as one of the most widely-praised aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel.
There was skepticism that she’d be able to step into the daunting shoes of the late Chadwick Boseman by inheriting the titular mantle, but a ferociously committed performance ended up winning over many of the doubters. In fact, fans are genuinely excited to see where Shuri’s arc heads in the inevitable Black Panther 3, and the actress has a wild idea of her own.
In an interview with Inverse, Wright revealed that she’d be keen to explore the storyline introduced in Ta Nehisi Coates’ A Nation Under Our Feet run, which saw the princess of Wakanda sacrifice herself and end up being placed into a status called “living death,” which leaves her soul in limbo.
“She took the mantle at a time where people really doubted her. She actually takes on a new form in the future. She really never dies, which is really interesting. She has these amazing crazy superpowers, and she’s an encyclopedia of information. She’s Griot times a thousand.”
Will we see Shuri end up becoming a sentient AI in the Black Panther threequel? It’s doubtful seeing as somebody else would be required to play the actual main role in costume, but it does at least present a method of keeping her around in the future should Ryan Coogler’s franchise follow the MCU’s usual rule of three.