The death of actor Chadwick Boseman looms large over "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," the sequel to "Black Panther," the 2018 blockbuster that signaled a new — and long overdue — form of representation in the superhero genre at large.
Co-writer and director Ryan Coogler created an immersive world within the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Boseman at its core. The actor's unexpected death in 2020 at age 43 robbed the MCU of one of its boldest heroes and Hollywood one of its brightest stars, and it leaves "Wakanda Forever" reeling, searching for its center.
In Boseman's absence, Coogler focuses on the women of Wakanda, largely fashioning the film around the strong females in the "Black Panther" orbit. But after a hearty start, the film sputters in its second half, dragging through its bloated runtime — at 2 hours and 41 minutes, it's the second-longest Marvel film to date, behind "Avengers: Endgame" — on its way to its at once overblown and underwhelming finale.
