The Best Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Quotes

At nearly three hours, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a rich story full of tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, as well as lots of new plot points. There’s a lot to take in. From Talokan’s introduction to upholding the Black Panther legacy, these Marvel characters are busy from start to finish.

Once you’ve checked out our Black Panther: Wakanda Forever review and analysis, here are some of the film’s best quotes. They’re moving, thought-provoking, sometimes funny and other times heartbreaking — in short, everything that makes a film worth rewatching again and again.

Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ahead.

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“I found your brother in the breeze.”

– Queen Ramonda

According to Wakandan culture, death is not the end. Queen Ramonda, in her grief, stays true to the teachings of Bast. Thus after her son’s funeral, Ramonda walks out into the bush until she finds water. She sits with herself and her emotions, and finds T’Challa in the natural elements of Wakanda. Her sentiment echoes the lyrics of Foudeqush and Ludwig Goränsson’s breakout song “Con La Brisa,” heard later when Namor takes Shuri to Talokan.

A year after T’Challa’s death, Ramonda brings Shuri to the same spot in the bush. She encourages her daughter to do the same in order to develop a new relationship with those who have passed on. T’Challa may be dead, but he’s certainly not gone.

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“If I sit and think about my brother for too long, it won’t be these clothes I burn. It will be the world.”

– Shuri

Shuri’s grief is a central fixture of the film. She struggles with the responsibility she feels for her brother’s death because she knows with more time she could have saved him. As a result, her grief shifts into rage. It’s easier to burn than remember and, as she tells Queen Ramonda, “The Black Panther is a relic, mother.” Sometimes the past only brings pain.

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“I have more soldiers than this land has blades of grass.”

– Namor

Namor’s character is meant to be menacing, a powerful figure willing to sacrifice anything for his own self interests. Up until this point, Wakanda has felt like an impenetrable world power. But with Namor, that facade is shattered. His army has power that can match the mighty Dora Milaje. And this threat is just the beginning.

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“Brilliance at a young age is not always accepted by the elders.”

– Shuri

Change isn’t always appreciated. Shuri, once called “a child who scoffs at tradition,” knows this to be true. Yet she still encourages Riri to work despite any opposition, and to be confident about her inventions and intelligence no matter the older generation’s thoughts. Shuri’s struggle with her legacy will be a recurring theme in her development throughout the film.

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“To be young, gifted, and Black though, right?”

– Riri Williams

At first, Riri is excited to see the princess of Wakanda inside her dorm. Soon, however, she realizes the danger she’s in — and the way her brilliance could be further exploited by powerful forces. Even though she has a whole YouTube channel dedicated to sightings of her, she’s still just starting out and that brings a lot of pressure. Nina Simone sings about this in the song being referenced here, pointing out that youth can be a double-edged sword, as Riri and Shuri know all too well.

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“You’re not worth my blade.”

– Attuma

Throughout the film, Okoye and Attuma circle each other as rivals. Both are trusted advisors and defenders of their people. Both value their culture and both are unmatched on the battlefield. Their confrontations are tense, and when Attuma says this to Okoye, it’s a critical blow to her pride.

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“Have I not given everything?”

– Queen Ramonda

Queen Ramonda has no shortage of moving speeches in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As queen, she’s filled with a fierce love for her nation. As a mother, her love goes even deeper. And after all the loss she has been forced to endure, Ramonda finally reaches her wall. There are many stages to grief and on the surface, we can hear Ramonda’s anger and sorrow. But underneath there’s also desperation, a plea for something, anything to change.

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“So y’all stop having Black Panthers when I get kidnapped?”

– Riri Williams

Riri provides some levity during stressful situations. Even though she’s a genius capable of constructing world-changing technology, she’s also still new to all this. And she makes a good point — seems like a bad time to run out of heroes when underwater super warriors are on the attack.

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“How is never as important as why.”

– Namor

Shuri cannot believe the breathtaking beauty of Namor’s empire. But as Namor points out, what someone does with their power is more important than how they get it. The whole reason his people live underwater is colonization, the forceful and systematic exploitation of others so one group can profit.

This lesson relates to Shuri as well. Wakanda knows their coveted resources provide power in addition to danger. Namor encourages Shuri to redefine her questions and challenge what she thinks she knows.

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“In the depths of the ocean, I brought the sun to my people.”

– Namor

Namor’s mutation allows him to be of the surface realm and the realms below. However, the Talokanil herb doesn’t gift anyone else this same power. Instead, they can only breathe underwater.

Though it’s been generations since his people first moved underwater, Namor still strives to remind them of their history. He used Vibranium to construct a beautiful sun temple, with a rising orb that mimics the star’s light. By giving them day and night under the waves, he brings symbolic order to his people.

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“My ancestors would often say only the most broken people can be great leaders.”

– Namor

To his people, Namor is K’uk’ulkán, the feathered serpent god. His gifts are the result of a vision from Chaac, the deity of storms. He flies through the air with his winged feet and strikes like a serpent, yet he’s broken as well. Namor is torn between two worlds though he might not realize it yet.

That division creates a fire within, a burning need to unite as well as push forward. He recognizes this in Shuri since he has used it himself to become a revered leader.

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“He was king and Black Panther to everyone, but to me he was everything. My T’Challa.”

– Nakia

To most, the Black Panther is a figurehead or a monument. But to Nakia, he was a partner. She needed to grieve him more privately than others. “I had to step away and let myself break,” she explains, showing us the raw depth of emotion she felt for her great, lost love.

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“The world has taken too much from you to still be considered a child.”

– M’Baku

Once highly critical of Shuri, M’Baku acknowledges her newfound strength and maturity. However, he also warns Shuri not to bury herself in her technology. With guidance, love, and respect, M’Baku fulfills the vacant role of big brother that she needs.

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“I was the tip of the spear of the Wakandan army. This is not me.”

– Okoye

Change is inevitable. Change is also extremely difficult. Okoye, who is rather rigid and traditional, cannot accept Shuri’s newly developed Midnight Angel armor until it’s her only choice. Yet once she wears it, she realizes how extraordinarily it enhances her combat capabilities. Sometimes, change is worth the struggle.

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“Are you gonna be noble like your brother or take care of business like me?”

– Erik Killmonger

Erik Killmonger can easily be called one of the most complex and intriguing MCU villains to date. While his methods were questionable, his motive had merit. Shuri understands this all too well as she allows her anger to rule her — something Erik encourages from his spot in the Ancestral Plane.

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“What, you think because we live in the mountains we don’t have access to books?”

– M’Baku

M’Baku is often used as comedic relief, and he is quite funny. He helps to ease the tension and pressure present in the rest of the film. However, his penchant for humor doesn’t make him dumb. The Jabari lord cheerfully ridicules anyone with that prejudice.

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“It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is what I want. And I want Namor dead.”

– Shuri

Once Shuri has the power of the Panther, her anger explodes. Now, she has the strength to back up her fury. As both the Black Panther and the incumbent queen, she will use her stations to exact vengeance on the man who took everything from her. And there will be no mercy.

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“You’ll greet your ancestors.”

– Okoye

When Okoye and Attuma meet again, she is ready. Okoye was caught off guard when she first encountered the Talokanil but now, with her Midnight Angel armor, she resolves to show Attuma he isn’t worthy of her blade. But he’ll meet it all the same.

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“Imperius Rex.”

— Namor

In the comics, this is Namor’s catchphrase. It’s his battlecry as he enters a fight, a warning to all enemies of their impending doom. For Namor, K’uk’ulkán of Talokan, his battlecry is said in Yucatec-Mayan, the language spoken by his people when they were forced underwater. His language adds immense depth to these words, a reminder that the king truly is eternal. Líik’ik Talokan!

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“Vengeance has consumed us. We cannot let it consume our people.”

– Shuri

Wakanda Forever brings us a lot of parallels to T’Challa in the wider MCU. One is to an honorable T’Challa quote from Captain America: Civil War, in which he refuses to kill his enemy. Shuri, then, reaches a similar conclusion during her final confrontation with Namor. While it’s easier to give in to a personal vendetta, a ruler must consider the future of their people as well.

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