Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ending & Post-Credit Scenes Explained

In a last-minute twist, it's revealed that despite taking on the Black Panther mantle, Shuri has no interest in leading Wakanda as its Queen.

Returning to the ceremonial grounds of the first movie where potential monarchs challenge for the crown, it's actually M'Baku who steps off the ship, announcing his intent to sit atop the throne.

In a movie where everyone gets promotions, M'Baku does feel like the right leader for Wakanda. It was always in Shuri's nature to forge her own path, and M'Baku is instrumental in influencing the eventual fate of both his people and Namor's. After all, it's him who encourages Shuri to avoid the eternal war that she so desperately wanted, and over the course of the film he always has his people's best interests at heart, and never acts out of selfishness.

Whether he's the kind of leader that can build bridges on a global scale, however, is yet to be seen.