Although it was unclear what Shuri’s fate was at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame quickly cleared up that that Letitia Wright’s character was among the many casualties of Thanos’ infamous snap. Fortunately, thanks to Hulk undoing the Mad Titan’s genocide, Shuri and everyone else who was turned to dust are back among the living, and now we’ve learned what the Wakandan genius has been up to following Endgame’s explosive events.
A new book has been released titled The Wakanda Files, which details Shuri’s scientific research into various corners of the MCU, including how there might be more to Scarlet Witch’s powers than initially assumed. As far as what Shuri has been personally working on, the book (via Syfy Wire) reveals that she’s been looking into a way to synthesize the Heart-Shaped Herb, the plant that gives Black Panther his powers.
As you’ll recall, during his brief rule as Wakanda’s king in the Black Panther movie, Erik Killmonger ordered that the entire supply of the Heart-Shaped Herbs be burned. Fortunately, Nakia was able sneak out a sample so that T’Challa could later regain his powers, but if the Black Panther mantle is to be passed on to future generations, then it’s up to Shuri to figure out how to regrow the plant.
So how’s this endeavor coming along? Well, Shuri’s managed to create a synthetic Heart-Shaped Herb and has contemplated mixing it with vibranium, but she mentions that she can’t do much more until she’s able to study a sample of the original plant, which is obviously difficult to come by. Shuri also mentioned that she’s looked into Extremis research conducted by the late Maya Hansen. Granted, Extremis’ use in Iron Man 3 caused a lot of people to explode, but Shuri is interested in the idea that if you treat “the human brain like a supercomputer,” then you can make it think “that it has the abilities of cytokini and auxin in plants,” and thus be able to regrow lost appendages.
If anyone can solve the mystery of growing a new crop of Heart-Shaped Herbs, it’s Shuri. Between being one of the smartest people on Earth (if not at the top of the list) and having access to all of Wakanda’s advanced technology, she stands a good chance of discovering a solution to this difficult problem, thus ensuring that future individuals who become Black Panther will be able to gain abilities like enhanced strength, speed and stamina, just like their predecessors did.
Leitita Wright is expected to reprise Shuri in Black Panther 2, which will also see the return of Danai Gurira as Okoye and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross. That said, the sequel is now finds itself in uncertain waters, as Chadwick Boseman passed away in late August. It’s unclear yet if the T’Challa role will be recast or if a different character, such as Shuri herself, will take over as Black Panther, but Wright recently made it clear that she and everyone else attached to Black Panther 2 are still mourning Boseman.
Assuming Black Panther 2 does move forward though, then you can count on Shuri playing an integral role, though we’ll have to wait and see if her research into the Heart-Shaped Herb is directly addressed. Who knows, maybe by the time the events of the sequel begin, she’s already solved that problem, and whoever’s serving as Black Panther has been properly empowered for some time.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any major updates concerning Black Panther 2, and learn what else the film side of the MCU has coming up with our Marvel movies guide.
