Ahead of the release of Black Panther 2, fans found out that the film has a mid-credit scene instead of a post-credit one.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is closing its fourth phase with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The Black Panther 2 mid-credit scene shows the possibility of where things might lead after that.
In this article, we'll discuss what is in the Black Panther 2 mid-credit scene, and how it shows potential for future storylines involving Wakanda.
The future of the Vibranium-wielding nation is only getting more and more complicated, and it doesn't seem like it will get any less intense any time soon.
Disclaimer: This article contains heavy spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The Black Panther 2 mid-credit scene reveals a new character not seen in the comics
What happens in the scene?
A few seconds after the credits roll, we see Shuri (Letitia Wright) visit Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) in Haiti. Shuri is finally accepting the death of her brother and grieving him properly. She burns her funeral clothes, as suggested by Queen Ramonda earlier in Black Panther 2.
Nakia then comes out and brings a young boy along with her, whom she introduces as Toussaint, her and T'Challa's son. She then explains to Shuri that Toussaint was born after the Blip. She also says that Toussaint is the boy's Haitian name, whereas his Wakandian name is T'Challa, the heir to the throne of Wakanda.
Nakia and T'Challa both agreed that Toussaint should grow up without the pressures and temptations of the throne. The Black Panther 2 mid-credit scene thereby serves as a compelling tribute to Chadwick Boseman's legacy as the Wakandan superhero.
Do we seen T'Challa's son in the comics?
T'Challa does not have children as far as the main continuity of Marvel comics is concerned. However, Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers No. 1 (2010) shows that T'Challa has a son. In the alternate universe, T'Challa and Storm of the X-Men are married, and their son is named Azari T’Challa.
The concept of T'Challa's son comes from a direct-to-video Marvel animated flick called Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow. In the film, the original Avengers children band together to take out Ultron.
What does the mid-credit scene mean for the future?
It's clear that Toussiant (or T'Challa) is next in line to take on the mantle of the Black Panther. However, he is introduced as a six-year-old, which means we will have to wait a significant while before we see him in action, unless there's a time skip in the plans.
The time skip seems more likely, given how Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror is the next big bad as per the MCU's planning. Kang is a highly advanced time traveler, which means we could see many young superheroes take up the responsibilities of the legends in a bigger capacity.
Children of the Avengers
T'Challa's introduction to Black Panther 2 does not seem unplanned. After all, there are now many children from the Avengers line-up who have interacted with their parents' complicated lives. There are Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Thor's adopted daughter Love, and Scott Lang's daughter, Cassie Lang, whom we will see in action in the upcoming Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.
We still have Shuri's Black Panther and Ironheart, both of whom are also quite young. The MCU could very well be planning a bigger role for these characters in Phases 5 and 6. It remains to be seen how that plan will be executed, but after seeing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it would not be wrong to assume that Marvel Studios might just be able to pull it off.