Why Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda should've been the new Black Panther in 'Wakanda Forever' - Entertainment Weekly News

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sumptuous viewing experience that depicts the loss of a beloved leader, the introduction of a new antihero (who isn't Taylor Swift but has an army nearly as large), and the crowning of a new Panther.

Sure, Shuri (Letitia Wright) as the new BP was great — very yas, literal queen literally slay — but what about Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda?

Meanwhile, Queen Ramonda, after running away with every scene in the film — and if there's any justice, running away with an Oscar next year — suffers the fate of every mentor figure in a Marvel movie: a dramatic, selfless death.

"That exploration of [Shuri's] 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.

Now, I know, I know, there was no heart-shaped herb for Queen Ramonda to ingest in the ritual to become the ancient protector of Wakanda (thanks, Killmonger).

So technically, she couldn't have become the Black Panther until Shuri was able to replicate the herb using an artifact gifted to her from Namor (Tenoch Huerta).

Had Ramonda survived and Shuri created the heart-shaped herb anyway, as Queen of Wakanda, Ramonda would have been entitled to be the new Panther, who is both the nation's ruler and protector.