Do Black Panther LEGO Sets Hint At The Hero's New Identity?
San Diego Comic-Con gave us a whole lot of new Marvel content to process. There were so many reveals, but the really big moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe presentation was the first trailer for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." As we can see from the footage, the people of Wakanda are in mourning for their King T'Challa, just as we fans are still in mourning for the actor who played him, Chadwick Boseman.
The trailer gave us a look at Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the flooding of Wakanda, the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and glimpses of Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), Shuri (Letitia Wright), Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), and so many others. It also gave us a glimpse of the new Black Panther. We don't know how this is going to come about, as the heart-shaped herbs are all gone ... unless they're also in Atlantis? Either way, we know someone is going to wear the suit, powers or not, as you can see in the photo above. This new version of Black Panther's outfit has gold accents, similar to Killmonger's suit in the first "Black Panther" movie,but it's impossible to tell who's wearing it.
Three new LEGO sets have been revealed, according to 9to5toys, and some fans think it might point to who will take up the mantle. Let's take a look at them and you can decide for yourself if you know the answer. The sets are expected to be available on October 1, 2022.
Shuri's Sunbird
The first set that we've got is Shuri's Sunbird. The set retails for $49.99 and is #76211. There are 355 pieces and four minifigs included. As you can see, in addition to the flying vehicle, we've got Nakia in her green outfit from the beginning of the new trailer. There's Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne in the film as well as the upcoming Disney+ series "Ironheart"), Shuri in what appears to be the old Black Panther suit, and an Atlantean that BrickFanatics lists as Attuma.
In the comics, Attumna is a villain, and the nemesis of Namor, who has swung back and forth between being a hero and a villain. He'll be played in the film by Alex Livinalli. While Shuri is in the costume, it's not the one with gold accents that we saw in the trailer.
There are a lot of candidates for the new Black Panther, from Shuri, to Nakia, to M'Baku (Winston Duke), to a resurrected Killmonger. (It happens in the comics. Long story.) It was assumed by many fans that Shuri would be the next Black Panther, since she does become that in the comics at one point, but there have been some behind-the-scenes issues with Wright that have started rumors about some changes to who will wear the suit next.
King Namor's Throne Hall
In the King Namor's Throne Hall set (#76213), we have Shuri, again in the Black Panther suit, minus the gold accents. There is also what appears to be an underwater vehicle. King Namor is sitting on his throne with what looks like a megalodon jaw around him. It's something we saw in the trailer as well, as he floated down towards it. There are some fish on the sides, and Attuma again. There are also three gold discs and some kelp on the sides of the throne.
This set also has 355 pieces and retails for $34.99. Again, she's in the suit, but it's not the one from the trailer. Sometimes we do see spoilers in toys, and it's possible that LEGO didn't know the gold accented suit would be the one in the film, but that's not how this usually works. There could be more than one person wearing the suit at different times, so I'm not sure this serves as confirmation, though she is in all three sets. Both of these sets have weapons on the hands of the suit (as Shuri uses in the first film), but in the trailer shot, we see gold claws.
Shuri's Laboratory
Finally we have a set that is for ages 4+, which is Shuri's Laboratory. In this set we have a Black Panther figure, this time without weapons. There is a lab station with those three gold discs again, a rolling platform for the Black Panther suit, a stand for a shield, spear, and sword, and a Shuri minifig, this time out of the suit. This set (#76212) retails for $9.99 and has 58 pieces.
This certainly could be a display version of the Black Panther suit from T'Challa. We don't know how he dies in the world of the film, but the entire country is in mourning, so a display of the suit worn by the hero of Wakanda and its King in her lab wouldn't be a surprise.
Perhaps Shuri will take up the Black Panther mantle and become Queen after Ramonda as well. Maybe Nakia the War Dog will take over. Maybe M'Baku will fight Shuri for the right to wear the suit. Maybe they'll work together to get a new version of the heart-shaped herb, or Shuri will create a synthetic version in her lab. While the sets do seem to point to Shuri, the costume doesn't seem to bear that out. Who knows?
We'll find out when "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" hits theaters on November 11, 2022.