Co-author of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Joe Robert Cole discusses why Queen Ramonda had to pass away in the movie. After Black Panther’s critical and commercial triumph, Cole and co-writer/director Ryan Coogler had a tough task ahead of them. Things were made particularly challenging by the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman, the film’s star actor. T’Challa’s death was accommodated in the movie’s rewritten storyline, honoring his memory and advancing the MCU sub-franchise. Shuri eventually took over as the new Black Panther, but not before she experienced the passing of her mother, Queen Ramonda.
It would seem excessive to wrap up Ramonda’s MCU arc in the same movie that dealt with T’Challa’s death. But Cole explains how the story of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever called for it in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. He claims that everything is a part of Shuri’s quest to become the next Black Panther. It also enables figures like M’Baku to assume the role of the succeeding Wakandan King. Below is a whole quote from Cole:
When we were working through the narrative and the story, we were looking at how each of our characters might be impacted by T’Challa’s loss. And the person closest to him, the person that felt like they would be affected the most, was Shuri [Letita Wright], his sister. We started to look at her arc and the journey we wanted her to take. She takes, I think, an incredible journey on this through this film. Thinking of who she was in the first film, I’m really proud of how she has evolved and grown as a character. At the beginning of this movie, she’s the smartest person in all of Wakanda and yet she can’t save her brother. How does that affect someone? We started to work through that journey of where she would be, her anger, her frustration and her pouring herself into her work. You think back to her point of view on the mystical side of Wakanda, how she’s more about science than she is about the ancestors and the ancestral plane. That exploration of her journey and her journey with her mother — who has lost a son, who has lost her husband, and who is dealing with grief and trying to help Shuri through that grief — we felt like it would be tremendously impactful to Shuri, and obviously to the nation, for Ramonda to be lost in the flood. How Shuri pivots off of that, and how Wakanda will pivot. From there, it launches M’Baku. It launches our characters in new directions. Which is really wonderful.
What the MCU Should Do About Queen Ramonda’s Death
For background, Ramonda perished in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s attack on Wakanda by Namor and the Talokanil. The future Ironheart heroine Riri Williams narrowly escaped drowning when the queen struggled to save her, but Ramonda perished. Shuri was already inconsolable over not being able to help T’Challa when this happened. Ramonda’s passing nevertheless has an impact on other MCU characters in addition to her. For instance, Okoye might be feeling guilty about her final exchange with the Wakandan Queen. Riri will always be grateful to Ramonda and the other Wakandans for saving her life.
How Ramonda’s passing will impact Namor is still up in the air. He didn’t appear to feel bad for killing the Wakandan monarch in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, as they prepare Namor for his future in the MCU, Marvel Studios can investigate this more. How he will cope with the realization that he essentially stole Shuri’s from her is curious given his close relationship with his mother. This might affect how Talokan and Wakanda proceed with their diplomatic relations in the future.
Admittedly, there are reasons why Ramonda might have been spared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Shuri didn’t want to ascend the throne, so she may have continued to be an important character in the MCU as the ruler of Wakanda. The brand might have also chosen to extend Angela Bassett’s involvement in the series a little bit. Even though it was heartbreaking, it’s also hard to contest Cole’s explanation for why she died.