Ryan Coogler's Black Panther introduced the Marvel Cinematic Universe to an entirely new world of characters and environments. T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) was the main attraction, but the film also included some notable female heroines like Shuri (Letitia Wright), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) as well. These badass women were total scene-stealers, and Coogler even thinks that they could front their own movie. Speaking out at Cannes, Coogler reportedly said the following:
To be clear: the wheels have not started turning on an all-female Black Panther spinoff. This isn't actually on Marvel's agenda yet, but Ryan Coogler does think that it's a good idea for the studio to explore somewhere down the line. We have no idea what this story could be, but any idea that brings a soldier like Okoye, a super spy like Nakia, and a tech genius like Shuri together is worth keeping an eye on.
Much of this stems from the fact that Ryan Coogler actually views the female characters of Black Panther as integral to the plot, rather than after thoughts. In fact, the Black Panther director reportedly made another statement at Cannes (via Variety's Ramin Setoodeh) and explained that he thinks the women of the film might even be more important to the plot than T'Challa himself.
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Of course, Wakanda will have to be protected by female warriors for the foreseeable future. As those who have seen Avengers: Infinity War already know, T'Challa is one of several heroes who disappears when Thanos (Josh Brolin) snaps his fingers. Okoye definitely survives the film, and if Shuri and Nakia are still out there, then they will presumably need to band together until their king can be resurrected -- which may or may not happen in Avengers 4.
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This isn't the first time that the idea of an all-female Marvel movie has been presented. Ahead of Black Panther's release, Marvel ladies like Tessa Thompson and Elizabeth Olsen similarly championed the idea of a Marvel film focusing on the female heroes. If such a movie does ever come together, it will make plenty of sense to get the women of Wakanda in on the action. After all, once Captain Marvel debuts anything will be possible for the MCU, and recent rumors have already suggested that Phase 4 will place an unprecedented focus on the female heroes who haven't fronted their own movies yet.
Black Panther is now available on Digital HD, and the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film will hit shelves later this month on May 15. You can also currently catch T'Challa in Avengers: Infinity War, which is now in theaters.
