While rumors persist that Shuri (Letitia Wright) will take on her brother's mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, becoming the next Black Panther would likely limit her MCU future. While she did become the Black Panther briefly in the original comics, she's since undergone a dynamic and beautiful transformation in recent years that should be seen on-screen. However, it would be a lot harder to pull off if she ends up becoming Wakanda's next protector as the new Black Panther.
As seen in the new trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the most powerful nation in the MCU is grieving the loss of King T'Challa (mirroring the very real and tragic loss of the late Chadwick Boseman). As such, the majority of the new footage depicts Shuri, Nakia, Queen Ramonda, and more struggling to move forward while keeping Wakanda safe in the face of Namor and his undersea nation, which is revealed to be Talocan rather than Atlantis. However, the final shot does see a new Black Panther having risen - though their face isn't revealed.
Given the comics' precedent and the idea of royal succession, there's a fair amount of logic behind Princess Shuri taking her brother's place as the next Black Panther. However, Shuri's time in the role was relatively short in the comics. Instead, she received a far more personal and unique journey that made her just as important to Wakanda as T'Challa's Black Panther. Here's how becoming the MCU's next Black Panther would limit Shuri from reaching her full potential.
In the comics, Shuri became the Black Panther after T'Challa was temporarily incapacitated by the Cabal, the supervillains' answer to Marvel's Illuminati. Despite T'Challa's recovery, Shuri would continue to serve as Wakanda's Queen and Black Panther, allowing T'Challa to have more freedom as a hero. Shuri would go on to defend Wakanda from multiple attacks from the likes of both Doctor Doom and Namor. However, an attack carried out by a new Cabal resulted in Shuri giving her life to buy her brother time to save their nation. Encased within an amber-like substance, Shuri was trapped in "a living death," with T'Challa attempting everything he could to bring her back. While she was eventually freed and her spirit was returned to her body, Shuri had become something far different (and arguably more powerful) than the Black Panther she once was. -Screen Rant
