Coming in off the back of Endgame Marvel Phase 4 had a lot to live up to. With Phase 4 largely being announced before the Pandemic hit and then films like Black Widow being delayed over a year a lot of the MCU happened on Disney+. Now at almost the end of Phase 4 (the official end including Kevin Bacon) with the equally displaced Black Panther 2 how is the MCU looking.
Firstly and most importantly, and unless you have been living in a cave, it has to be acknowledged that Wakanda Forever was originally a much different film but with the death of the original Black Panther Chadwick Boseman and the declaration that he would not be recast. The MCU needed to acknowledge his passing and what it means for the fictional Wakanda.
This may not be as far a reach as you might think with when we left off Wakanda, T’Challa had been removed from the throne by Killmonger who had burnt all the heart shaped herb (the plant that gives the Black Panthers their extraordinary abilities). Now with T’Challa being the last Black Panther of Wakanda he was then snapped away by Thanos leaving Wakanda without a King for the following 5 years (leaving the Queen Mother on the throne).
After Endgame T’Challa was restored but this was of course 5 years after Wakanda was revealed to the world as not only the only source of Vibranium but also secretly a technologically advanced country as it set up outreach centres around the globe. With Wakanda Forever this is the state of play for Wakanda but not the world with Black Panther 2 being the introduction to the MCU for Namor the Submariner.
So who is Namor? Within the comics Namor is one of the oldest (in more than one way) Marvel characters. Ruler of the oceans and sovereign of Atlantis, Namor first appeared in 1939 and was considered part of the Golden Age of Comics appearing in Marvel Comics #1. Possibly the first ever comic Anti-hero Namor is like the Marvel Aquaman except he was first and also has little wings on his feet allowing him to fly.
While Namor even fought alongside Captain America in World War II his story has been adjusted a few times since. Namor is considered one of the oldest Mutants and has fought alongside the Fantastic Four and Avengers as much as he has fought against them (and more than a few times made a play for Sue Storm). Before the MCU and when Sony looked to be the start of what would have been the MCU there was even a Namor film slated.
In the lead up to Secret Wars where worlds were being destroyed by colliding in what was called incursions (something we heard about in Multiverse of Madness) Namor was part of the Illuminati along with Tony Stark, Reed Richards and the Black Panther. However Namor and T’Challa (who at the time was no longer king of Wakanda, with Shuri instead being on the Throne) were also bitter enemies.
Does that sound like a lot to take in? Well good because that does go well with Wakanda Forever as a film. Coming in at 2 hours and 41 minutes it is one of the longest films in the MCU and leaves very little room for bathroom breaks. As a story it plays out differently to other films in the MCU with having possibly more acts than even Endgame with the initial story being quite wide and telling the story of Wakanda and narrowing down the cast throughout the film until it is about a main character (without spoilers).
Diverting from the regular story approach the film plays out more like if Captain America wasn’t in Civil War but you still had the same story. While not a bad Marvel film there is a LOT going on throughout with the introduction of new characters, filling in the backstory of others and really a lot of expanding of the world the MCU lives in.. there is a lot going on while still trying to hit the key points like the introduction of Namor and situating him in the MCU.
So should you go see it? If you are reading this there is a 100% certainty that you are absolutely going to see it regardless of what is here. More of a lore or world building film than your typical Marvel hero arc story flick if you are but if you really need that fix there is always the first Black Panther on Disney+
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is at cinemas across Australia right now
