Africa In the MCU: Intermission

I watched the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer 8 times and cried each time.

Everything's gonna be alright.

After what has been a tumultuous Phase 4, Marvel announced at last week's San-Diego Comic Con (SDCC) that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would be the bookend to the first phase of The Multiverse Saga. Those of us who've been keeping up with Marvel Studios in the past year know just how rocky Phase 4 has been. We've had many highs and lows. From the success of the first MCU TV series, WandaVision, to the lowest rated MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes, Eternals, we have really seen it all.

With Phase 4 came the rupturing of the multiverse. Loki showed us just how serious a "multiversal war" could be. Again in Spider-Man: No Way Home we saw a glimpse of the looming chaos. And then in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we learned about incursions destroying entire universes in the space-time continuum. However, while the notion of the "multiverse" is a compelling concept with great story potential, the constant need for Marvel to raise the stakes of every movie has left many, including myself, reeling from the effects of "superhero fatigue".

A quick scroll through social media and you'll find that there seems to be a large number of people looking for more 'grounded' content from Marvel. Many Marvel fans miss the days when the MCU movies felt more grounded in reality. But when you think about it, when has the MCU ever been realistic? The very notion of superheroes existing is completely and utterly far-fetched. But I suppose the overall aesthetic and tone of pre Infinity War MCU movies is what people miss.

It's at this moment I say a prayer of thanks to God for Wakanda Forever's teaser trailer.

After having watched this teaser at least 8 times, I've come to the conviction that the Black Panther sequel isn't going to be a story caught up with the whole 'multiverse drama'. Rather, just from the teaser alone, I'm confident now that Wakanda Forever will be a heartfelt tribute to both Chadwick Boseman and the character of T'Challa in the MCU. What a meaningful way to bring a close to Phase 4.

Hopefully it will remind us just why these superhero stories are important. It's not just about the spectacle or the action. We love superheroes because they inspire us to do the things we think we're incapable of. They teach us to never give up-- to be persistent. They remind us to hold each other accountable. They teach us that there's a hero in each and everyone of us. And above all, they reveal to us the beauty of the human spirit. And the human spirit is powerful. So when one of us falls, we must honor their spirit, especially when what they stood for changed the world. We must honor their legacy.

---

Thanks for reading! Unfortunately this will be my last blogpost for a while since I am going on a 5-week hiatus. University calls. The good news is, I've got a lot of high-quality content in the works right now. So make sure to subscribe to SENTIENT's monthly newsletter so you don't miss out on any updates.

Africa in the MCU will resume on September 2, 2022.