Marvel’s Back Panther: Wakanda Forever succeeded in paying a beautiful tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman with an in-universe funeral for King T’Challa, but the scene had one notable omission that can be addressed in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Black Panther made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, but he fully became a household name through his well-received 2018 solo project, Black Panther. In addition to having an engaging story and memorable villain, Black Panther succeeded in large part due to actor Chadwick Boseman’s undeniable charisma and chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Boseman was, by all accounts, a real-life hero, and director Ryan Coogler decided to honor Boseman after his unexpected passing by including the event in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. T’Challa is given a beautiful funeral scene early in the movie, but none of the Avengers or other non-Wakandan characters who knew him made an appearance. While there are understandable real-life reasons not to turn the scene into a cameo vehicle, it does mean that the rest of the Marvel Universe has yet to find out or react on-screen to the loss of their friend and fellow hero. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty can change that.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Is The Best Chance To Acknowledge T’Challa’s Passing
It makes sense that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wanted to stay focused on its own characters and not distract from itself by featuring cameos from elsewhere in the MCU during its opening scenes. However, this omission is compounded by the fact that the MCU isn’t featuring an Avengers-level team-up movie until Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026. However, when that does happen, it seems natural that the team will have the opportunity to process and reflect on Boseman’s T’Challa.
Shuri is the current Black Panther, though her status as the leader of Wakanda is seemingly up in the air. However, when the Avengers come back together for what will presumably be the first time since Avengers: Endgame, Shuri will almost definitely join up to take down whichever versions of Kang act as the central antagonists. A scene with characters that knew T’Challa is unlikely to be sizable several years out from Wakanda Forever, but, after characters like Iron Man and Natasha Romanoff have been referenced and remembered across different projects, so too can the venerable King T’Challa.
Why The Avengers Weren’t In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
There are both in and out-of-universe explanations for why The Avengers weren’t present at T’Challa’s funeral scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the world of the movie, it’s very possible that the Wakandans simply didn’t find it necessary to invite outsiders for what was a very personal and culturally significant event. While T’Challa had a working relationship with several Avengers and a personal friendship with a few, the same can’t be said for many other citizens of the powerful nation. Bucky Barnes likely made connections while staying in Wakanda after Captain America: Civil War, but few had strong ties outside of him.
The out-of-universe reason, and the one that’s more important, is that the T’Challa funeral scene was an important and poignant tribute to a real-life man, not just a character. While it made sense to showcase cameos during MCU funerals for fictional characters like Tony Stark, doing so in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an entirely different thing that may have been seen as distracting. However, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is the perfect time to show that T’Challa’s legacy is important outside of Wakanda, too, and that he meant a great deal to all of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
