Black Panther: Wakanda Forever features unused footage from the original film featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, according to director Ryan Coogler.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler reveals never-before-seen footage of Black Panther‘s star Chadwick Boseman that was included in the sequel.

Per The Direct, Coogler spoke about the origin of the new Boseman footage during his audio commentary on Wakanda Forever for Disney+. The moment, which was shown in the film’s emotional post-credits scene, features a smiling Boseman looking on in the heart of Wakanda. Speaking with Wakanda Forever’s cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Coogler said, “That was one of my favorite shots then that we didn’t get to use in the movie.”

Boseman was honored throughout Wakanda Forever following his untimely passing in August 2020 due to colon cancer. Wakanda Forever opted not to recast T’Challa for the Marvel superhero movie, instead deciding to write off his character in its opening scene, with the Wakanda leader dying of a mysterious illness. The post-credits scene featured several clips of Boseman’s T’Challa in Black Panther, with Shuri (Letitia Wright) deeply mourning his absence while alone on the beach. Shuri was then comforted by Nakia who revealed to her that she had a son with T’Challa before he passed away.

Shuri stepped into the “Panther Habit” suit to succeed her brother as the new Black Panther, sporting the suit as she sought to avenge the slaying of her mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), following a confrontation with Namor (Tenoch Huerta). Wright revealed in an interview last December that Marvel’s initial plan was to have T’Challa and Shuri’s Black Panthers co-exist in the MCU, saying the long-term idea was for Shuri to join her brother in battle while also sporting her own vibranium suit.

The Success of Black Panther 2

Wakanda Forever has received widespread critical acclaim and various accolades since its theatrical debut last November. The Black Panther follow-up has won 18 awards to date, including a Golden Globe win for Bassett, who became the first MCU actor to attain such an honor. Bassett also received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Queen Ramonda, one of five nods earned by Wakanda Forever at the 95th Academy Awards set to take place on Mar. 12.

After grossing $842.2 million at the worldwide box office during its cinematic run, Wakanda Forever transitioned to Disney+, premiering via the streaming service on Feb. 1, already becoming Disney+’s most-watched Marvel film premiere globally. Coinciding with its streaming debut, various deleted scenes from Wakanda Forever dropped online which featured an alternate fate for Okoye (Danai Gurira) and a new mission for Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) among other interesting tidbits.

Wakanda Forever enthusiasts can watch the film on Disney+. A behind-the-scenes documentary, Assembled: The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, premieres on the streaming service Feb. 8.

Source: The Direct