“Only the most broken people can be great leaders.”
K’uk’ulkan/Namor, ruler of Talokan (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
When the family and I went to see the long-anticipated film last week, I already knew that we would be forced to grapple with themes of love and loss. What I didn’t expect, however, was being confronted with multi-layered conflicts that can rise from within ourselves and how we, given the perfect storm of circumstances, can become our own worst enemies.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t worry: you won’t get any obvious spoilers from me here. But what I can share here is what a gripping, galvanizing and emotional it is. Along with millions of other fans, I was stunned and devastated upon learning of Chadwick Boseman’s death and his lingering battle with colon cancer. To learn that he was on borrowed time was wrenching enough, but realizing that he soldiered through multiple projects while enduring surgeries, chemo and radiation broke my heart. Long before he embodied the role of king T’Challa, the late Chadwick Boseman was already the hero, one that left a collection of dignified quality works and a void that can never be filled.
It’s true that “Wakanda Forever” deals with the loss of their beloved king, but just like real life, we are sometimes forced to deal with more than one crisis at once: as Princess Shuri (Leticia Wright) struggles with her sudden responsibilities as the heir-apparent to the throne, there are also opportunists who want to capitalize on the nation’s vulnerabilities, inadvertently exposing the long-dormant underwater nation of the Talokans and poising both at the brink of war. Perhaps in an effort to distract herself from the pain, Princess Shuri eschews the traditional approaches to life and loss favored by her bereaved mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and buries herself in tweaking the operations of her lab, especially the tools that fell short of saving her older brother’s life.
Most of us aren’t kin to royalty, but how many of us have been thrust so suddenly into responsibilities we’ve never dealt with before that we cling to what can be controlled versus contemplating what we cannot anticipate? Perhaps you lost a parent decades before you were an adult and became the caretaker for needy siblings, or you become a widower forced to raise young children alone. That quandary is a universal one that, unfortunately, we might all have to confront.
Another aspect that was deftly handled and relatable was catching the blame for one group’s actions and getting thrust into a battle that we didn’t create: since King T’Challa disclosed the existence of the precious metal Vibranium to the world leaders after ascending the throne, nations clamoring for their resources suddenly become threats to the Talokans: Namor (Tenoch Huerta) gives the Princess Shuri and Queen Ramonda two choices: conceal them from the menaces of “the surface world” or risk a war. “I have more soldiers than [Wakanda] has blades of grass,” he seethes. Do you try stating your case of innocence to the potential enemies, or do you prepare for a battle? The rigors of adulting can make things a lot more complicated than imagined.
How many of us, in the midst of processing grief, have had to ally ourselves with a stranger? Even worse, how often have we stumbled under the weight of further loss when we’re still coming to terms with what’s already gone? The creators of the film apparently had to work together to be creative and professional as they mourned their friend and co-star, so the tone of the film, even as it has fun and buoyant moments, definitely has a more somber tone than its predecessor. Traditions versus trends and how we choose move forward are recurring themes here, all wrapped up in a powerful, action-filled opus that honors Chadwick/T’Challa and allows us to eagerly anticipate immerse ourselves in what may come next.
