History TearJerker / BlackPantherWakandaForever

** What makes it worse is that Wakanda has lost its king ''three whole times'': he was seemingly executed by [[Film/BlackPanther2018 Killmonger]], came back and regained his mantle, was then dusted and came back five years later just to die again much like [[Film/SpiderManNoWayHome May Parker]], [[Film/ThorLoveAndThunder Jane Foster]], and ([[UncertainDoom seemingly]]) [[Film/DoctorStrangeintheMultiverseofMadness Wanda]].

** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, weeping as she doubles over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. Ramonda is shocked at first, but lets her daughter have one last moment, before gently pulling her back and holding her. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays, while we're greeted to a shot of Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak]]. And this is the ''last shot we see'' before the logo. [[TheWoobie Ouch...]]

-->'''Ramonda:''' Where is her treacherous husband now but in a place where she can visit if she wished?! '''Mine'''... is with the ancestors! I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and [[SoleSurvivor my entire family is gone]]! [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Have I not given]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion everything?!]]''
** While Ramonda stripping Okoye from her rank and occupation may seem disproportionate and irrational, it should be noted that Shuri joining Okoye on the mission was Okoye's idea, despite Ramonda's reservations. Okoye genuinely wanted to help the princess deal with her grief by getting her out of the lab and it resulted in her being abducted.
* The way T’Challa died is awfully similar to how Chadwick himself passed away with no one the wiser besides himself and his family. Shuri reveals to Namor that T'Challa suffered from his illness in secret and did not ask for help until it was already too late to save him. She then asks Namor why she would be given the gifts and abilities to save T'Challa if she ultimately ended up failing. An empathetic Namor gently replies that he has no answer for that question.

* Ramonda's death by drowning [[HeroicSacrifice after helping Riri get back to the surface]] during Namor's attack on Wakanda. Shuri can only be held back as she tries running to her mother, watching as attempts to revive her fail. [[{{Creator/LetitiaWright}} Letitia Wright's]] [[SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct delivery]] of Shuri's anguished screams for her mother will surely break you into pieces.

** Ramonda's funeral is a much more somber affair than T'Challa's. While T'Challa's funeral could be seen as bittersweet in how his death was mourned and his life was celebrated, the people attending Ramonda's funeral just seem too broken to truly celebrate her life. [[FridgeHorror Which makes one wonder how many Wakandans were killed during the invasion]]?

* After Ramonda's funeral, M'Baku approaches Shuri and tries to offer what little comfort he can. When she briefly recalls his comment about calling her a child, M'Baku shakes his head and says that after everything [[TraumaCongaLine Shuri has been through,]] he can no longer see her as a child.

* The final scene before the credits, where Shuri finally burns her funeral attire and allows herself to grieve T'Challa's death. Previous clips of them together (as seen in the previous film) are intercut in this scene, and there's no noise at all -- just silence. After the montage is over, [[CatharticCrying Shuri's emotions finally get the best of her, and she starts crying]]. then [[AwardBaitSong "Lift Me Up"]] starts to play, segueing to the credits.
** As the credits start playing, the background of the credits are interwoven with close up shots of said funeral attire in the fire. Much like Shuri is doing, this also gives time for the audience to grieve and celebrate the late King's life, both in-universe and in real life.

** Ramonda's funeral is a much more somber affair than T'Challa's. While T'Challa's funeral could be seen as bittersweet in how his death was mourned and his life was celebrated, the people attending Ramonda's funeral just seem too broken to truly celebrate her life. Which makes one wonder how many Wakandans were killed during the invasion?

Let's face the facts: T'Challa is dead, [[DiedDuringProduction both in]] [[Creator/ChadwickBoseman real life]] ''[[TheCharacterDiedWithHim and]]'' [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim in the movie]]. And these succeeding moments are clear that Wakanda is struggling without him. Bring on the waterworks.

* The final scene before the credits, where Shuri finally burns her funeral attire and allows herself to grieve T'Challa's death. Previous clips of them together (as seen in the previous film) are intercut in this scene, and there's no noise at all -- just silence. After the montage is over, [[CatharticCrying Shuri's emotions finally get the best of her, and she starts crying]]. the "Lift Me Up" starts to play, segueing to the credits.

* The final scene before the credits, where Shuri finally burns her funeral attire and allows herself to grieve T'Challa's death. Previous clips of them together (as seen in the previous film) are intercut in this scene, and there's no noise at all -- just silence. After the montage is over, [[CatharticCrying Shuri's emotions finally get the best of her, and she starts crying]]. the "Lift Me Up" starts to play, seguing to the credits.

** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, weeping as she doubles over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. Ramonda is shocked at first, but lets her daughter have one last moment, before gently pulling her back and holding her. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays, while we're greeted to a ''[[SarcasmMode lovely]]'' shot of Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak.]] And this is the ''last shot we see'' before the logo. [[TheWoobie Ouch...]]
*** Following the funeral is the aforementioned Marvel Studios intro. It's a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, like the one in ''Captain Marvel'' for Stan Lee, originally produced for the first film's Disney+ release on Boseman's first birthday after his passing. But instead of having the usual bombastic music, and whereas the tribute to Lee and the original release of this intro were uplifting and could be considered positive send-offs to the two men, it is near-complete silence here following the scene of T'Challa's funeral. No music, no fanfare, '''''NOTHING'''''. This just manages to further set up the depressing tone of the film.

** Ramonda's funeral is a much more somber affair than T'Challa's. While T'Challa's funeral could be seen as bittersweet in how his death was mourned and his life was celebrated, the people attending Ramonda's funeral just seem too broken to truly celebrate her life. Which brings into mind: How many Wakandans are killed during the invasion?

* Okoye returns to Wakanda and vows to bring Shuri back... but a distraught Ramonda strips her of her title and membership in the Dora Milaje on the spot. [[NotsoStoic Okoye is immediately brought to tears]] as she begs for another chance, calling Ramonda "mother". The Border Tribe Elder even argues in Okoye's defense, pointing out that Okoye has shown nothing but loyalty to Wakanda. In response, Ramonda angrily reminds them that Okoye sided with Killmonger while Ramonda and Shuri were forced to flee to the Jabari for help, and outright refuses to give Okoye another chance. It is here that Ramonda gives the line from the teaser trailer that broke '''''so'' many hearts.'''

** Ramonda's funeral is a much more somber affair than T'Challa's. While T'Challa's funeral could be seen as bittersweet in how his death was mourned and his life was celebrated, the people attending Ramonda's funeral just seem too broken to truly celebrate her life. Which brings into ming: How many Wakandans are killed during the invasion?

** Ramonda's funeral is a much more somber affair than T'Challa's. While T'Challa's funeral could be seen as bittersweet in how his death was mourned and his life was celebrated, the people attending Ramonda's funeral just seem too broken to truly celebrate her life.

* Okoye returns to Wakanda and vows to bring Shuri back... but a distraught Ramonda strips her of her title and membership in the Dora Milaje on the spot. [[NotsoStoic Okoye is immediately brought to tears]] as she begs for another chance, calling Ramonda "mother". The Border Tribe Elder tries to point out that Okoye is nothing but loyal to Wakanda, but Ramonda snaps at them that Okoye sided with Killmonger while Ramonda and Shuri were forced to flee to the Jabari for help, and outright refuses to give Okoye another chance, even going as far as giving the line from the teaser trailer that broke '''''so'' many hearts.'''

* The way T’Challa died is awfully similar to how Chadwick himself passed away with no one the wiser besides himself and his family. Shuri reveals to Namor that T'Challa suffered from his illness in secret and did not ask for help until it was already too late to save him. She then asks Namor why she would be given the gifts and abilities to save T'Challa if she ultimately ended up failing. An empathetic Namor gently replies that he has no answer for that question.

* After Ramonda's funeral, M'Baku approaches Shuri and tries to offer what little comfort he can. When she briefly recalls his comment about calling her a child, M'Baku shakes his head and says that after everything [[TraumaCongaLine Shuri has been through,]] he can no longer see her as such.

** Unfortunately, her prayers go unanswered. The writing seems to be on the wall in the lab as an aide tells Shuri she should go be with T'Challa, but she refuses, determined to save him even with a terrible probability of success and his heartbeat weakening and slowing. When told her chances have jumped from 25% to 29%, she settles and prints her artificial herb. She prepares to race to her brother's side... only to be met by her distraught mother, who says nothing. Shuri asks the status of her brother's heartbeat, and gets no reply. Ramonda then announces, "[[WhamLine Your brother...]] [[DeadlyEuphemism is with the ancestors]]." Shuri promptly breaks down.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Good night, sweet prince.]]]]

-->'''Queen Ramonda:''' I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and my entire family is gone! ''Have I not given everything?!''

* "Only the most broken people... can be great leaders." A very poignant line if there ever was one; just ask [[Characters/MCUTonyStark Tony]] or [[Characters/MCUSteveRogers Steve]], let alone Queen Ramonda herself.

* During the cold open, it is revealed that T'Challa is dying of an unknown illness and Shuri is trying to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb to save him somehow, but all of the effort is in vain. [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Even though it's a foregone conclusion that he will be gone]], you can still ''feel'' everybody's desperation as they race to keep him alive. The first words of the film are Shuri praying to Bast to help her heal T'Challa.

** Unfortunately, her prayers go unanswered. The writing seems to be on the wall in the lab as an aide tells Shuri she should go be with T'Challa, but she refuses, determined to save him even with a terrible probability of success and his heartbeat weakening and slowing. When told her chances have jumped from 25% to 29%, she settles and prints her artificial herb. She prepares to race to her brother's side... only to be met by her distraught mother, who says nothing. Shuri asks the status of her brother's heartbeat, and gets no reply. Ramonda then announces, "[[WhamLine Your brother...]] [[DeadlyEuphemism is with the ancestors]]."

** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, weeping as she doubles over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. Ramonda is shocked at first, but lets her daughter have one last moment, before gently pulling her back and holding her. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays. And then the final shot of the prologue is Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak.]] [[TheWoobie Ouch...]]
*** Following the funeral is the Marvel Studios intro. It's a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, like the one in ''Captain Marvel'' for Stan Lee, originally produced for the first film's Disney+ release on Boseman's first birthday after his passing. But instead of having the usual bombastic music, and whereas the tribute to Lee and the original release of this intro were uplifting and could be considered positive send-offs to the two men, it is near-complete silence here following the scene of T'Challa's funeral--there's no music or fanfare '''AT ''ALL''''', further setting up the depressing tone of the film.

* Okoye returns to Wakanda and vows to bring Shuri back... but a distraught Ramonda strips her of her title and membership in the Dora Milaje on the spot. [[NotsoStoic Okoye is immediately brought to tears]] as she begs for another chance, calling Ramonda "mother". The Border Tribe Elder tries to point out that Okoye is nothing but loyal to Wakanda, but Ramonda snaps at them that Okoye sided with Killmonger while Ramonda and Shuri were forced to flee to the Jabari for help. And ''then'' we get the line from the teaser trailer that broke so many hearts, as Ramonda refuses to give Okoye another chance.

-->'''Queen Ramonda:''' Where is her treacherous husband now but in a place where she can visit if she wished?! '''Mine'''... is with the ancestors! I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world, and [[SoleSurvivor my entire family is gone]]! [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Have I not given]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion everything?!]]''

* Ramonda's death by drowning [[HeroicSacrifice after helping Riri get back to the surface]] during Namor's attack on Wakanda. Shuri can only be held back as she tries running to her mother, watching as attempts to revive her fail. [[{{Creator/LetitiaWright}} Letitia Wright's]] [[SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct delivery]] of Shuri's anguished screams for her mother is not only heartbreaking, but ''palpable.''

** Watching Shuri struggle in vain against Aneka and M'Baku would already be enough for anyone, but just listening to her go from calling Ramonda "Mother" to the more child-like "Mama" will rip your heart out of your chest. Pass the tissues.

* The final scene before the credits, where Shuri finally burns her funeral attire and allows herself to grieve T'Challa's death. Previous clips of them together (as seen in the previous film) are intercut in this scene, and there's no noise at all -- just silence. And then "Lift Me Up" starts to play, seguing to the credits.

* The mid-credits reveal that Nakia left Wakanda because she and T'Challa agreed that she should raise their son away from the attention of the royal council. While it's sweet to know T'Challa has a son, it's tinged with sadness at the knowledge that he won't be around to watch the boy grow up, in addition to the fact that T'Challa also ended up missing 5 years of his son's life as a result of being killed by Thanos.

* The events of Killmonger's succession crisis have not been forgotten in Wakanda. M'Baku points out that they lost the heart-shaped herb, and later the Black Panther with T'Challa's death, thanks to the council allowing Killmonger to become king, and the council looks ashamed of their past compliance. Later, as detailed below, Ramonda reveals she still resents Okoye and her Elders for letting Killmonger take over.
** These instances and Killmonger's later appearance to Shuri in the Ancestral Plane prove that even though T'Challa saw the spark of good intentions in his cousin, his family did ''not'', and neither did the rest of the country. He's now reviled in death as a traitorous monster who brought the country to its knees.

* The way T’Challa died is awfully similar to how Chadwick himself passed away with no one the wiser besides himself and his family. Shuri reveals to Namor that T'Challa suffered from his illness in secret and did not ask for help until it was already too late to save him.
** She then asks Namor why she would be given the gifts and abilities to save T'Challa if she ultimately ended up failing. An empathetic Namor gently replies that he has no answer for that question.

* The mid-credits reveal that Nakia left Wakanda because she and T'Challa agreed that she should raise their son away from the attention of the royal council. While it's sweet to know T'Challa has a son, it's tinged with sadness at the knowledge that he won't be around to watch the boy grow up, in addition to the fact that T'Challa also ended up missing 5 years of his son's life as a result of being killed by Thanos.
* By the end of the movie, Wakanda, the technological marvel and most powerful country in the world, has been significantly reduced in terms of its power. Sure, they managed to evade a ForeverWar with Talokan but their alliance is a fragile one and a convenience at best. With the existence of the undersea kingdom remaining a secret, the world still blames Wakanda for the attack on the mining outpost and Riri's "kidnapping." Combined with their army being weakened and the capital city flooded, Wakanda has now made a lot of foreign enemies who wanted their Vibranium. As Namor explained, it is Wakanda who seeks their help, not the other way around. While they are willing to give Wakanda a pass for sparing Namor, they still wish to destroy the rest of the surface world.
** The crippling of the Wakandan army also spells trouble for Earth as well. Along with [[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness Scarlet Witch's attack on Kamar-Taj]] a year earlier, and the disbanding of the Avengers, Earth is now even more vulnerable than before from cosmic threats such as Kang the Conqueror and the Celestials.

* During the cold open, it is revealed that T'Challa is dying of an unknown illness and Shuri is trying to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb to save him somehow, but all of the effort is in vain. [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Even though it's a foregone conclusion that he will be gone]], you can still ''feel'' everybody's desperation as they race to keep him alive.

** The first words of the film are Shuri praying to Bast to help her heal T'Challa... and her prayers go unanswered. The writing seems to be on the wall in the lab as an aide tells Shuri she should go be with T'Challa, but she refuses, determined to save him even with a terrible probability of success and his heartbeat weakening and slowing. When told her chances have jumped from 25% to 29%, she settles and prints her artificial herb. She prepares to race to her brother's side... only to be met by her distraught mother, who says nothing. Shuri asks the status of her brother's heartbeat, and gets no reply.
--->'''Ramonda''': [[WhamLine Your brother...]] [[DeadlyEuphemism is with the ancestors]].
** The Council of Elders, including M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, are all in tears at the private ceremony held before the funeral procession. Okoye in particular ''still'' keeps crying during the procession from the loss of her quasi-brother, who, as the film will later reveal, she still feels deeply remorseful about turning her back on when it appeared he died in ritual combat. Now she'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life, compounded by the fact she's serving as one of his ''pallbearers'' now that he [[KilledOffForReal truly is dead this time]].
** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, doubling over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. Ramonda gasps, but lets her daughter have one last moment, before gently pulling her back and holding her. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays. And then the prologue ends with Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak.]] [[TheWoobie Ouch...]]

** When the country begins preparing for battle the next morning, M'Baku still arrives with the Jabari to take part, but he has ''none'' of his usual bravado and eagerness for battle. Talokan's troops may be even more dangerous than Thanos's universally feared army, but M'Baku for the first time doesn't want to fight the enemy, or at least on the terms Shuri wants. Even when Shuri leads the Wakandans in a chant of "Yibambe", M'Baku still looks morose.
* The final scene before the credits, where Shuri finally burns her funeral attire and allows herself to grieve T'Challa's death. Previous clips of them together (as seen in the previous film) are intercut in this scene, and there is no noise at all - just silence.

-->'''Queen Ramonda:''' I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world [...] and [[SoleSurvivor my entire family is gone]]! [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Have I not given]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion everything?!]]''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Good night, sweet prince]]]]

** The Council of Elders, including M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, are all in tears at the private ceremony held before the funeral procession. Okoye ''still'' keeps crying during the procession from the loss of her quasi-brother, who as the film will later reveal, she still feels deeply remorseful about turning her back on when it appeared he died in ritual combat. Now she'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life, compounded by the fact she's serving as one of his ''pallbearers'' now that he [[KilledOffForReal truly is dead this time]].
** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, doubling over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. Ramonda gasps but lets her daughter have one last moment, before gently pulling her back and holding her. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays, the prologue ending with Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak.]]
*** Following the funeral, the Marvel logo intro is also a tribute to Chadwick Boseman like the one in ''Captain Marvel'' for Stan Lee, originally produced for the first film's Disney+ release on Boseman's first birthday after his passing. But instead of having the usual bombastic music, and whereas the tribute to Lee and the original release of this intro were uplifting and could be considered positive send-offs to the two men, it is near-complete silence here following the scene of T'Challa's funeral--there's no music or fanfare '''AT ''ALL''''', further setting up the depressing tone of the film.

-->'''Queen Ramonda:''' I am queen of the most powerful nation in the world [...] and [[SoleSurvivor my entire family is gone]]! Have I not given ''everything?''

** The Council of Elders, including M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, are all in tears at the private ceremony held before the funeral procession.
** When the time comes for T'Challa's casket to be taken away, Ramonda and Shuri touch it one last time...but Shuri doubles back, doubling over in grief as if to keep holding her deceased brother. And finally, the casket is taken away as the Ancestral Plane theme plays, the prologue ending with Shuri [[BreaktheCutie crying in heartbreak.]]

** Both Aneka and M’Baku are already grief-stricken, M’Baku remorsefully closing his eyes as he reels upon realizing what has happened.

-->'''Shuri''': Bast. Time is running out. Please allow me to heal my brother of this illness, and I'll never question your existence again.

* During the cold open, it is revealed that T'Challa is dying of an unknown illness and Shuri is trying to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb to save him somehow, but all of the effort is in vain. [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Even though it's a foregone conclusion that he croaks]], you can still ''feel'' everybody's desperation as they race to keep him alive.

* By the end of the movie, Wakanda, the technological marvel and most powerful country in the world, has been reduced to a fraction of its power. Sure, they managed to evade a ForeverWar with the Talokan but their alliance is a fragile one and a convenience at best. With the existence of the undersea kingdom remaining a secret, the world still blames Wakanda for the attack on the mining outpost and Riri's "kidnapping." Combined with their army being severely crippled and the capital city flooded, Wakanda has now made a lot of foreign enemies who wanted their Vibranium. As Namor explained, it is Wakanda who seeks their help, not the other way around. While they are willing to give Wakanda a pass for sparing Namor, they still wish to destroy the rest of the surface world.