Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fans complain about Avengers ‘plot hole’ in new sequel

It all started with a blip...

Marvel fans have complained about an alleged “plot hole” in the newly released sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The film follows on from 2018’s hit blockbuster Black Panther, and sees the characters grapple with the death of King T’Challa, played in the first film by the late Chadwick Boseman.

Wakanda Forever was warmly received by critics, including The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey, who wrote in her four-star review: “[The] film is certainly not without the occasional dodgy bit of CGI – that is a prerequisite for belonging to the MCU, it seems. But there’s more than enough wit, beauty and imagination in Wakanda Forever to outweigh its weaknesses.”

However, some viewers have taken issue with the way that Wakanda Forever ties into the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

The issue concerns the ending of Infinity War. In that film’s downbeat climax, Josh Brolin’s villainous Thanos enacted the “blip”, which eradicated half of all life in the universe.

While the blip – which was reversed after five in-universe years during the events of Endgame – has been addressed in many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s subsequent films and series, it was not a major plot point in Wakanda Forever.

Moreover, many fans have raised questions about the lack of effect the blip seemed to have had on Wakandan life, questioning why there was only now a pressing effort to fill the role of the Black Panther – when the country’s protector had previously been dead for five years during the blip.

Others also questioned how the film failed to address how the blip had factored into the underwater nation of Talokan, run by Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), Wakanda Forever’s villain.

Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (Marvel Studios)

Fans shared their thoughts on the subject on social media.

“Gaping plot hole in #WakandaForever,” one person wrote. “T’Cholla [sic] was already ‘dead’ for the last five years. What was Wakanda doing in his absence before that? Probably his mother was ruling. Who was the Black Panther during that time? Did they have one? Seems like they’d want or need one.”

“Why was this only resolved after T’Challa came back and then died?” they continued. “Wouldn’t the nation have already mourned his loss and come up with a means of succession? Seems like they just forgot the Marvel continuity and wrote this completely as if Wakanda exists outside of it.”

“I need more then a quick mention of Thanos in Black Panther 2,” another person wrote. “Who ran Wakanda during the blip? Did they have a funeral for T’Challa?

“We went through a film about mourning with T’Challa but nothing on how he literally died twice before.”

“The Blip.... Was Namor and his people not affected?” another person queried. “It would seem to be a better motive to come to the surface than the one they used.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in cinemas now.