Say it loud, and say it proud: WAKANDA FOREVER!
Marvel president Kevin Feige recently sat down for a discussion with Entertainment Weekly and revealed that fans can "absolutely" expect a Black Panther sequel.
When pressed about details, Feige said he had "nothing specific to reveal, other than to say we [will] absolutely do that."
"One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two," Feige continued. "There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther. We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one."
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This is the best news we've heard since we learned that Michael B. Jordan replaced the world's funniest/thirstiest teen who accidentally snapped her retainer because she was so excited to see him shirtless. In Wakanda, heroes come in all forms (and amazing fashion styles).
Feige also said they never doubted that Black Panther would be a massive success — though, it's unclear whether even the studio could have predicted just how incredibly well the film did at the box office — and knew they wanted to get a head start on crossover opportunities, beginning with Infinity War.
"That's the grand Marvel Studios/MCU tradition of just being all in, right? All in on stuff we believe in, before the audience tells us what they think," Feige said of Black Panther's success. "You've heard us talk ad nauseam about the fact that we were in production on Avengers before either Thor or Captain America released. Same thing with the whole third act of Infinity War being in Wakanda."
He later added that Wakanda can be described as an "anchor point" for future films.
Feige's announcement isn't just exciting because we loved Black Panther. It's thrilling because it's a guarantee that we'll see more Black actors represented on the big screen. Finally, filmmakers are realizing that not only are Black voices profitable, but they are also so important to millions of people who have waited years to hear them.
Let's hope that Black Panther's success, as well as the push for "inclusion riders" in contracts, will create richer stories and more opportunities.