The safest bet and most obvious choice for the new Black Panther is, indeed, Shuri (Letitia Wright), T'Challa's genius younger sister. In the comic books, Shuri takes on the mantle of the Black Panther at one point while T'Challa recovers from serious injuries. Her position as the surviving heir of the Wakandan royal family, as well as her experience both in battle and in her science lab, makes her the ideal candidate for the job. And similarly in "Wakanda Forever," she takes up the mantle as one of the last surviving members of her royal bloodline, all to protect Wakanda and exact revenge for Queen Ramonda's murder.
Shuri takes on a leadership role in several situations throughout "Wakanda Forever" — from protecting scientist Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) from Namor (Tenoch Huerta) to leading Wakanda to war against Talokan. Though crisis forced her into the position, the weight of the "Black Panther" sequel would naturally fall on her shoulders since her character has been waiting to be seen as more than a child "who scoffs at tradition" since the 2018 film. Now the real question is will she remain the Black Panther in the future? She just may pass the title onto T'Challa's next of kin — Prince T'Challa.
