Unfortunately, I think that horse has left the barn bro. Its easy to see that things are trending toward "Stark-ifying" Shuri to allow her to be a multi discipline, subject matter expert. In itself I wouldn't mind if they were going to let her be home based, and not tease at her being next BP. MCU wise anyway.
I think after the success of the first film Marvel has every intention of passing the mantle onto Shuri. That may not initially have been their goal, but whether it's the next film or in 6-7 years, the IP has proven itself too valuable to be shuffled aside after T'Challa is gone. She's more likely to get a D+ show than a whole trilogy but that doesn't change how Marvel's not gonna pass up the chance to have a headlining black female hero in their universe.
So while Shuri is gonna be pushed as a top multi-discipline intellect, Marvel's also gonna give her the mantle at some point, it's just a matter of when and for how long. If the MCU reboots shortly after Secret Wars (and I think they will), she probably won't be BP for more than 5 years.
Though I'd prefer if she developed her own superhero identity and became more like Batgirl, like with Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel. I don't understand why Marvel thinks Shuri needs the BP mantle to be successful as a solo act when she's already built up a substantial following without it. Give her an original superhero title with the basic naming convention (Color)+(Animal) and spin her off into her own property. Her young, female fans that form the base of her support will follow with the right marketing.
If Shuri is going to thrive as a secondary IP I don't think it it hurts to give her a legitimate superhero name. "Princess Shuri" may be marketable as is, but it's still just her name, she needs her "Nightwing" or "Batgirl" to fully signal she's not just a princess but an independent hero in her own right. The least they could do is "Princess Shuri: Sapphire Crow" (if we're working with the current version).
What Marvel should've done from the beginning is show T'Challa and Shuri have different scientific focuses. She's the engineer/computer expert, which makes her great for gadgets and infrastructure, but T'Challa can be the guy for more multiversal/interdimensional stuff. Then stuff like botany and medicine can be something they both do depending on who has time.
That way while Shuri can be responsible for energy daggers, T'Challa can be the inventor of Shadow Physics. Then maybe with the Techno-Organic Jungle they collaborated over the years. Maybe we'll see that delineation in the future but I doubt it and it frankly was a very bad decision not to do so in the first film.
I actually agree with Frontier here. Giving Shuri some sort of codename reduces her marketability because far more people know her as simply Shuri than anything else. That actually makes her feel more iconic by just going by her name. And if the point is about her carving out a space of her own, not giving her a unique codename actually works better in this case, since her brother and most other Wakandan forces have one. Giving her a codename will just make her blend in with the plethora of codenamed superheroes in the Marvel universe. Plus, Nightwing and Batgirl had codenames to protect their identities. Shuri doesn't need that. And she isn't supposed to be taking up some kind of mantle. If anything all the attempts to give her such a moniker (Black Panther and Griot) fell flat.
Shuri works in the same way Namor does. What she needs is for Marvel to give her a clear niche. Is she spear welding, badass warrior girl, ancient history warlock girl, or sassy teen scientist girl?
Last edited by Blind Wedjat; 10-25-2020 at 11:44 AM.
People know Shuri as whatever the MCU tells them to call her. If in the next film Shuri took on the Griot, White Tiger, or Sapphire Crow mantle people would accept it and call her that because she's still basically a blank slate and they'll love her regardless. It'd obviously be a while before it becomes the standard but it'd happen, especially if she actually did big things while in that mantle (like join the Young Avengers and be a leading character).
It's the equivalent of Dick Grayson taking on the Robin or Nightwing moniker. Something to demonstrate a clear separation from her mentor while signifying a connection via naming convention. Most of Batman's major legacies are bird/bat related but don't call themselves just their name or "Batman", most of Hulk's legacies have names somehow related to strength/power.
So I don't see why Shuri shouldn't have at least a tagline that harkens back to her Black Panther relationship while still having a totally independent mantle. Princess Shuri works when she's a supporting character who's holed up in her lab, not as a true superhero title when she's on her own adventures or with other heroes. Even Namor has the whole Sub-Mariner thing. She needs to feel more global and independent and I don't get that from an 18+ year old without a solid superhero identity.
Last edited by chief12d; 10-25-2020 at 12:07 PM.
I always felt giving Shuri magical powers and all that was saying "we don't think she's good enough on her own." Same with a code name.
Here is something I'd pitch (and I know no one would go for). Shuri should be the Wakandan Reed Richards to T'Challa's Tony Stark. her lab should be the most dangerous place in the country and no one should ever go in there without her escorting them or with prober safeties in play.
I would give her the JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY book were she leads a team of Wakandan scientists and adventurers on Challengers of the Unknown-style missions, ENTIRELY separate from the crap her brother gets up to. She'd have her own villains, her own mysteries her own adventures and then sit down to family dinners where she and T'Challa try to top each other with cool stories.
Shuri is fine. She just needs a writer who gives a shit.
Last edited by Redjack; 10-25-2020 at 12:51 PM.
Hello Mr Redjack! My name is T'Challa and this is my sister Shuri. We will have an understanding between us. You will be my new scribe and will regale the world of my adventures so that all will see my greatness and see how badass I truly am. For my sister you will give her a title of importance and make her name renowned. This you will do for me so that my followers may finally know happiness.
One more thing: There is a white-haired woman who frequents my homeland occasionally. She is from a Tribe Called X that I wish never to be associated with for they are foul sorcerers and deceivers! Also, she is my ex-wife. She is not to be allowed in my kingdom from henceforth! No matter how much she pleads or how bad her sales are or how little her Tribe uses her, do not let her enter the Kingdom of Wakanda!
Now...tell me of this Zanda woman. I hear she is a queen.