Director Ryan Coogler recently pulled back the curtain on a rule he had while shooting the MCU’s latest movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther 2 finally hit Disney+ after performing exceptionally well for Marvel Studios in theaters, expanding the world of Wakanda while honoring the legacy of the franchise’s late leading star Chadwick Boseman. But ahead of the sequel’s release in theater, arguably the biggest question on fans’ minds was who exactly would take over the Black Panther mantle after T’Challa’s heartbreaking death.
While the trailers for Black Panther 2 offered a couple of small clues, Marvel was intent on hiding the identity of Wakanda’s new protector until later in the promotional tour, only revealing the full new suit during the movie’s second trailer.
But now, it appears that there was one way to actually predict who that new Black Panther was thanks to Ryan Coogler’s latest reveal about a rule used in Wakanda.
Ryan Coogler Reveals Black Panther Rule
During the director’s commentary for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, director Ryan Coogler revealed a specific rule that he used with regard to attire for the people of Wakanda.
This commentary came during one of the movie’s final scenes that featured Shuri’s send-off for Riri Williams before she returned to the United States.
Coogler noted that only the Black Panther is allowed to wear the color black, laughing about the fact that Shuri was always dressed in black during the trailers:
“It’s funny, ’cause in these films, we don’t really let anybody wear black except for the Black Panther. It’s kind of like Wakandan rules in many ways. So it was funny like watching the… (laughs) Watching the trailers come out and people saying, ‘Who’s gonna be the Black Panther?’ And that image of Shuri walking in in all black with the necklace was always in those trailers.”
He explained further that the Black Panther is only seen wearing black after they take over the mantle, further separating the hero from the rest of Wakanda in a fashion sense:
“So I would kind of laugh to myself a bit, ’cause it was one of the few rules that we established in the first one and we respected in this one. You know, you don’t really see anybody wearing that color predominantly in Wakanda… Yeah, once the person becomes the Panther, you see they only wear black. Even when they dress casually.”
Looking back at the marketing campaign for Black Panther 2, Coogler’s reveal certainly provides fans with a reason to laugh when reminiscing on how the trailers teased what was coming in the movie.
The director stayed true to his word with this quote, with Shuri truly being the only Wakandan character to don an all-black ensemble at any point during the film’s extended runtime.
This sequel featured new costumes for a number of leading characters, including a fresh update for Winston Duke’s M’Baku and the colorful new Midnight Angel costumes for Okoye and Aneka.
But this rule from Coogler mostly comes as a humorous fact months after Black Panther 2 arrived in theaters, especially with there being so many questions and mysteries about who would become the franchise’s new leading hero.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now streaming on Disney+.
