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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has easily been one of the most anticipated films of the year, but it did take a long, long time before its arrival.
Part of this was due to the untimely death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the titular character and King of Wakanda, T'Chhalla. This unfortunate event probed director Ryan Coogler to completely restructure the script and base it around Wakanda instead.
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever already out in theaters, there is a steady buzz in the air about many of the details in the film. One question that left Marvel fans curious was who would take up the mantle of Black Panther. In all regards, there may be no Black Panther as Kevin Fiege previously denied rumors of recasting Black Panther or featuring a CGI T'Challa.
He said:
"Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to history and what we do to honour this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really...."
He further added:
"Wakanda is a place to further explore with characters and different subcultures. This was always and initially the primary focus of the next story. We're not going to have a CG Chadwick and we're not recasting T'Challa."
Yet, another aspect that intrigued viewers this time out was the mystical land of Talokan, Marvel Cinematic Universe's underwater kingdom in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Here are a few facts about this new destination that rivals the origin story of Wakanda.
Black Panther sequel - Three defining details of Talokan
1) Talokan is based on the mythical Aztec paradise Tlālōcān
Deviating from the usual norm of showing the underground city of Atlantis, which has been the lore behind many films and shows, including DC's Aquaman, Ryan Coogler decided to delve into the indigenous Latin American culture by using Talocan, which is based on the mythical Aztec paradise of Tlālōcān.
According to the myth, Tlālōcān is a place where those who die from lightning or drowning rest in paradise.
2) In the comics, Namor is actually the prince of Atlantis
Though Coogler managed to turn the viewer's gaze into something different, the comics did not come up with the idea. They described Namor (Tenoch Huerta) as the Prince of Atlantis, much like DC's Aquaman.
Namor's position has been rather odd in the Marvel comics, oscillating between a hero, anti-hero, and villain. He was also one of the first superheroes.
3) Talokan mirrors the present-day Wakanda
One of Coogler's key aims with Talokan was to mirror Wakanda underwater, creating a lore of rich mysteries and culture, much like the isolated African nation. In an interview, he said:
"I dug Aquaman and really loved Disney's Atlantis that came out when we were younger. And I wanted to make something that could stand in a cinematic pantheon beside those films and be different, but still truthful. We were after something that felt truthful, and real, and we can take a deep cultural dive [with]."
He further added:
"That felt like it was on theme, felt like they belonged in a world with Wakanda that was believable, but also felt like myth; felt like people could see themselves in it. That's what we were after. I don't know if we accomplished it."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now out in theaters.
