There was plenty to love in Black Panther — the title character himself, Michael B. Jordan’s soulful villain Killmonger, Danai Gurira’s wig-flipping Okoye. But if any player was the true break-out hit of Ryan Coogler’s film it was Letitia Wright’s Shuri — T’Challa’s super-smart Q-like younger sister who kitted her big brother out with fancy gadgets, while poking fun at him at every opportunity.
Shuri’s big-screen success is now being fed back into the source material – later this year, Marvel has confirmed she’s getting her own comic book series. Simply titled Shuri, the run will see her forced to step up and lead Wakanda when Black Panther gets lost in space on a mission. "Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation,” reads the Marvel synopsis. “She’d rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one — and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda’s welfare and her own." The series, due out in October this year, is written by Nigerian-American sci-fi writer Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Leonardo Romero.
After Wright’s character became such an instant fan favourite in Black Panther, rumours have swirled about Shuri’s future in the MCU — with a level of tech knowledge beyond even Tony Stark’s, could she eventually become the new Iron Man? Or something else entirely? Either way, a solo comics run suggests a confidence on Marvel’s part in Shuri’s longevity, so expect that to be reflected in Black Panther 2 and beyond.
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