In an interview with Rolling Stone, co-writer Joe Robert Cole revealed that they were also considering M’Baku and Nakia as the characters who could have taken over the Black Panther mantle. However, they ended up with Shuri since she is the option that is the best for the story. “We would kick around the ideas, and try to extrapolate where the story goes and what’s the most impactful choice — what’s the best journey? And where do you go after the film in terms of those characters. M’Baku certainly was someone that got kicked around a little bit,” he said.
“I think you’re correct because in the comics, Shuri is Black Panther and there’s a natural organicness, I guess is the best way to say it, to her becoming Panther. But you kick the tires on all sorts of ideas. And you just want to make the best decision and do what’s best for the story.” When the interviewer brought up Nakia, that was when Cole confirmed that she was also in the running, “That got kicked around! Her name got kicked around for sure.” Considering M’Baku and Nakia’s fighting skills, it does make sense that they were also considered to take over the mantle during the film and there is no argument that they would have also done a great job in that suit. However, as they pointed out, Shuri is a better option since she represents T’Challa’s legacy and it has a bigger impact on the story which is dealing with grief. While the two aforementioned characters didn’t take the mantle, the ending did indicate that M’Baku is now the new King of Wakanda and possibly the permanent Black Panther moving forward along with it. Also Read: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Post-Credits Scene Almost Featured More of Awesome New Character Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still showing in theaters. You can check more details about it here.
