Chadwick Boseman had been acting for some time even before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he was not yet a household name. Touted as not only one of the brightest actors of our times, he was also known as a kind and caring human being.

And so his passing in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer was doubly hard on the world at large. Not only did we lose the Black Panther, an iconic character in one of pop culture’s largest movie franchises, but off screen we also lost a stellar actor and human being.

When the decision was made not to recast the role, many were surprised. Actors in the MCU had been recast before, such as Terrence Howard being dropped and replaced by Don Cheadle as Rhodey/War Machine, and Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner/Hulk, who was replaced by now fan-favorite Mark Ruffalo.

This won points for Marvel studios, who showed that money didn’t make the MCU go round. Instead of finding a new actor for the role and continuing on as usual, they adjusted to the circumstances. The entire movie was reworked to revolve around the Black Panther’s absence.

And yet the questions remained. What happens now? And will it all still work without T'Challa? Put your geeky minds at ease, because I can say without hesitation that yes, it does indeed still work.

The film wastes no time in addressing King T’Chala’s death, and its repercussions. The world had lost yet another Avenger. A nation had lost her king, and her protector. But perhaps most poignantly, a mother had lost her son, and a sister her brother.

It is this sense of loss that drives the entire movie, from the decisions made by the characters to the overall plot. It is so sublimely worked into the story that it at times almost feels as if this was their intention all along.

Angela Basset’s ever-regal Queen Roamonda is now running Wakanda, having to deal with her son’s decision to better integrate their once closed nation with the wider world. Shuri, T’Chaka’s genius younger sister, played by Letitia Wright, throws herself into her technology even more, running from the pain of his passing rather than dealing with it.

But while they grieve, the rest of the world continues to turn, and a new danger, quite literally, surfaces, and threatens to destroy everything they hold dear. Tenoch Huerta is engaging as Namor, a sovereign of the underwater nation of Talokan, and he has issues with Wakanda and the rest of the Surface World.

The movie overall is a bit of a slow burn, eschewing the upbeat, joke-a-minute formula of many comic book films. But in doing so it does itself and its audience a service, because in its place is a thoughtful geopolitical thriller that challenges the audience to think.

Namor, while clearly the bad guy, is interestingly complicated. Arrogant, yes, very much so. Quick to anger and slow to calm, again, yes very much so. But he is not evil, and Huerta convincingly plays him as a very nuanced antagonist, as layered as any you will find in the MCU.

And yes, we know he must be stopped, but we also know why he does what he does, and cannot help but to see his point.

What a powerful moment it would have made, to have Huerta’s Namor face to face with Boseman’s T’Challa, two sovereigns of two warring nations.. The gravity of the scene would have pulled the planets from their orbits. One cannot help but wonder. In the multiverse somewhere, this went down.

The rest of the original cast return as well, each dealing with the void left by Tachalla’s death in their own way. With his absence they come together to fill the void in their own way.

There is a large amount of girl power, with Shuri taking a larger role, the Queen running the country and of course the Dora Milaje being as fierce as ever, but it never feels forced. It is a perfect example of showing, and not telling.

Newcomer Riri Williams is played by Dominique Thorn, while interesting, is not in any way integral to the plot. She is destined for other things beyond Wakanda borders, but here she has her origin story.

Ryan Coogler manages to balance the many hats the film itself must wear. It is in part a tribute to Chadwick Boseman,an origin story, and a piece in the larger universe, and each facet is expertly executed.

The result is an MCU film to be taken seriously, not to be easily dismissed as childish or shallow.

Whatever concerns you may have had, leave them at the door. It is a definite must-see.