Characters In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever That Are More Important Than You Think

We meet the ocean-dwelling race, the Talokanil, long before Namor hits the screen in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." In that first encounter, a Talokanil strike force destroys an American science station and ruthlessly murders its entire staff — soldiers and scientists alike. The strike force is led by an individual who practically screams leader: He's bigger than his fellow Talokanil, wields a far more ornate spear, and is uniquely adorned with large, bright feathers and jewelry. As revealed later in the film, that hulking warrior is Attuma (Alex Livinalli), one of Namor's chief lieutenants, and his comic book counterpart is even more fearsome.

Unlike the movie version of Attuma, the comic Attuma is no silent, obedient follower. Instead, he's a big, brash, bellicose barbarian whose life's goal is to wrest the throne from Namor — a feat he has actually accomplished multiple times. Raised to believe himself a prophesied god-king, Attuma has also led multiple campaigns to conquer the surface world. Perhaps the single most revealing example of Attuma's destructive potential came during the "Fear Itself" event, in which the evil brother to Norse God Odin sends eight hammers to Earth — similar to Thor's Mjolnir — meant to empower those most worthy of serving as his agents of destruction. Attuma was granted a hammer, alongside others deemed worthy, including the Thing, the Juggernaut, and the Hulk.

Way back in "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," Marvel introduced Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a shadowy figure with mysterious intentions who operates in the background of the MCU. In her first appearance, she recruits the U.S. Agent to the unnamed organization she works for, and in her second, she pits Yelena Belova against Hawkeye in an apparent bid to gain Belova's favor. However confusing her aims are in canon, behind the scenes, it is revealed that she's working to assemble the notorious anti-hero squad, the Thunderbolts. Now, after her appearance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," it's more obvious than ever that de Fontaine will be an important part of the MCU's future.

We finally know who de Fontaine works for: the CIA. Just as importantly, we now know that she is the organization's director. However insidious she might have seemed before, de Fontaine is now confirmed to be a major power player, and the Thunderbolts she is set to assemble are almost certainly going to be agents of the American government. The extent to which super-teams are beholden to world governments has been an explosive issue in the MCU before — forming the backbone of "Captain America: Civil War" and the subsequent Sokovia Accords — and the impending de Fontaine-led Thunderbolts may just relight the fuse.

Of course, it goes without saying that Namor is already one of the most important characters in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." He's the primary antagonist of the film, the main foil to Shuri in her new role as Wakanda's Queen, and the head of a new, advanced nation, Talokan. Aside from Shuri herself, no character in the movie is nearly as important as Namor, and certainly no newly introduced character can hold a candle. But there are two aspects to Namor, one in the film and one in comics, that make the character more important than you might think: He's the first open Mutant in the MCU, and his comic book counterpart is the only character in Marvel history that has been an Avenger, X-Men, Defender, and Illuminati member. And that's just the tip of the deep-sea iceberg.

The biggest moment in Namor's movie appearance comes when he explains his birth to Shuri, telling her, "I was a mutant." Never before in the MCU has any character been openly, plainly identified as a mutant — Charles Xavier appeared in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" but came from another universe, and Kamala Khan had "something different" in her genes, "like a mutation," but that's it. Likewise, his presence invokes his comic inspiration, who is perhaps the last of the leading anti-heroes to make it to the big screen.

A joyful surprise to many, Michael B. Jordan's hit character Erik Killmonger made a cameo in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and with it, clarified a number of questions about Wakanda's Ancestral Plane — as well as creating just as many new questions. When Shuri ingests the Heart-Shaped Herb in order to gain the physical ability of the Black Panther and commune with former Panthers in the Ancestral Plane for guidance, it's Killmonger who awaits her there.

Unlike T'Challa, who met with his recently-departed father T'Chaka, and T'Chaka, who supposedly met with his father, Shuri's vision in the Ancestral Plane broke tradition entirely. Due to the rage in her heart and her overwhelming urge for vengeance, she meets with the most vengeful former Panther, Killmonger, who tries to stoke the flames of anger in her heart.

His presence on the Ancestral Plane makes one thing crystal clear: Every Black Panther ascends to the Ancestral Plane upon death, regardless of their actions in life. For all of Killmonger's supposed villainy, he exists forever right alongside the most virtuous of historical Panthers. From there, the potential implications are as troubling as they are varied — is all that is required to reach this paradise the drinking of the Heart-Shaped Herb? Are all paradises, like Heaven, Valhalla, and the Duat, subject to similar technicalities?

As tensions between Talokan and Wakanda rise going into the third act of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Shuri breaks out every tool in her arsenal. Alongside a massive battleship, a new set of superpowers, and a Black Panther suit, Shuri finally puts one of her longtime pet projects to use in the field: the advanced combat suits codenamed "Midnight Angels." Firstly, the suit proves the irony and flaws in Shuri's fragile mental state. Despite her repeated insistence that the Black Panther suit — a full-body suit that augments strength, speed, and reflexes — is obsolete in the wake of new technology, her substitute idea is the Midnight Angels: full-body suits that augment strength, speed, and reflexes. But beyond that character reveal, the Midnight Angels have even more importance, thanks to their activities in the comics.

Among Earth's warriors, the Wakandans are some of its most elite, and among them, the Dora Milaje are their most elite. The comics take this stratification one step further, naming the most elite among the Dora Milaje the Midnight Angels. Not only are they the best of Wakanda's best, but they are also its most loyal — so loyal, in fact, that they even attack T'Challa, Shuri, and the entire royal family when it seems that they've acted against the interests of Wakanda at large.

Unlike many Marvel films, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" only has one post-credits scene, and though it is slow, subtle, and quiet, it is nonetheless tremendously important to the MCU's future. Instead of some new, dire threat or the introduction of another already-beloved hero, the sole end-credits scene honors Boseman and T'Challa by introducing his son with longtime love Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who introduces himself as "Prince T'Challa, son of King T'Challa."

Sure, other Avengers have children, but none have been introduced at a period that imbued them with so much gravity and so much potential. As the son of T'Challa, the young T'Challa ensures that his father's legacy will live on. But perhaps more importantly to a superhero franchise, as the son of a super-powered individual, it is possible and even likely that the young T'Challa inherited his father's abilities. We've mentioned before how stacked the potential Young Avengers roster could be going forward, and now it could very well include a Panther-powered son of Wakanda, as well. In carrying on the legacy of King T'Challa and possibly ensuring the future of Wakanda in the superhero community, the young T'Challa joins the ranks of characters in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" that are more important than you think.