Producer Nate Moore explained why the ratio of male to female heroes in the plot ended up being so one-sided even though female heroes were given more attention in Black Panther 2.
Black Panther 2 earned the third-highest box office total and received largely excellent reviews, wrapping up the MCU’s Phase 4 plot in spectacular style. It also established a singular milestone by surpassing Captain Marvel worldwide to become the highest-grossing female-led superhero film in domestic box office history.
The only male characters who received comparable screen time in Black Panther 2 were M’Baku and Namor the Submariner, as the story focused on women in a way that had never been done in the MCU before. Black Panther 2 was not only driven by female heroines like Shuri, Okoye, and Ramonda.
One of Black Panther 2‘s producers recently addressed the imbalance between male and female characters in light of the sequel’s impact on the massive MCU saga following the passing of the late Chadwick Boseman.
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Producer of Black Panther 2 on Cast’s Female Majority
Nate Moore, VP of Production & Development at Marvel Studios, discussed how the sequel’s emphasis on female heroes developed in the second episode of the official Black Panther: Wakanda Forever podcast.
Moore credited the atmosphere to “organic storytelling,” noting that his team did not aim to include more male characters in the story merely for their own sake:
“However, the film’s emphasis on women is simply the result of natural storytelling. If our only purpose was to include more men, we could have, for example, introduced more male characters and crammed them in, or we could have found a method to include other male heroes. But nobody should set themselves such as a goal…”
The podcast’s host and Black Panther comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Coates inquired about Riri Williams/significance of Ironheart in the film, calling it “very much a mother-daughter story” after the first Black Panther concentrated on a father and his son:
Riri/Ironheart is one of the other brand-new characters that we clearly see. Can you specifically discuss Riri’s role in this movie? Additionally, I believe this movie’s focus on women and strong mother-daughter relationships is tied to that, whereas the first “Black Panther” might be seen as having more of a father-son dynamic. I’m curious as to how you two felt and what you thought about the fact that this is mostly a mother-daughter story.
When Chadwick Boseman passed away, Moore stated that the Shuri/Ramonda angle “came naturally” because of “the reality of what [they] were working with,” having the plot focus on the two characters “who would be most affected” by T’Challa’s passing:
“Yes, the mother-daughter angle was forced upon us by the circumstances surrounding Chad’s passing. Ramonda and Shuri appeared to be the two individuals who would be most impacted by T’Challa’s passing. And since that interaction is where the storytelling’s emotional core resides, I’m not sure of any alternative course of action that could be taken.”
Additionally, he praised Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright for their roles, saying that they “over-delivered in the first movie” before taking on a significant amount of responsibility in the follow-up:
“Additionally, the fact that you have two outstanding actresses in Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright means that you can’t just rely on them to perform. In fact, I’d say they over delivered in the first movie and were sort of, if not emotionally, at least in terms of talent, prepared to carry the picture.”
Later, Moore compared Riri Williams’ brilliance to Shuri’s while pointing out that she was “educated in a completely different environment” and had a very different upbringing growing up in the US as opposed to Wakanda:
“I believe that Riri is a fascinating addition to the series because, like Talokan, it is a study of opposites. You could say that person is equally intelligent as Shuri, but she was educated in a whole different society and had a totally different experience growing up as a Black woman in America. Again, there is merely narrative tension in that relationship to keep those two people near to one another.”
He praised Ryan Coogler as a director and a storyteller and emphasized the impact the film had by bringing together so many strong forces because characters from Wakanda, Talokan, and the USA were involved:
“I’ll just go back to what I was saying earlier: Ryan is interested in creating tension between characters and watching how they interact with one another in his films. There is magic in it, if you can land on it when you have Wakanda, Talokan, Shuri, Riri, and Namor, all of whom have viewpoints that are in opposition to one another.”
Regarding how female-centric the plot was, Moore made it clear that his team’s focus was on “telling the finest story” rather than trying to cram in more male characters.
“However, the film’s emphasis on women is simply the result of natural storytelling. If our only purpose was to include more men, we could have, for example, introduced more male characters and crammed them in, or we could have found a method to include other male heroes. However, that is not a good objective for anyone to have. Really, the goal is to deliver the finest story possible.”
In Black Panther 2, female heroes play significant roles.
Even while the cast of Black Panther 2 did mostly revolve around its prominent female actors, this seemed like an obvious choice given how important these characters were to T’Challa‘s existence in the MCU.
Because the previous film concentrated so strongly on T’Challa and T’Chaka, it seemed like a natural progression to make the plot about Shuri and Ramonda.
The sequel benefited greatly from this choice, especially because Angela Bassett won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding performance. Letitia Wright stepped up to the plate and provided the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its newest outstanding female protagonist when Shuri assumed the role of the Black Panther, succeeding her deceased brother.
Shuri will also apparently play a significant role later in the Multiverse Saga with a prominent position in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, suggesting that she will continue to serve as the team’s leader for a considerable amount of time.
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