Black Panther 2 Had A Different Ending For Okoye, Actress Reveals

One of the most surprising revelations Ryan Coogler made in the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is Queen Ramonda stripping Okoye of her position as the general of the Dora Milaje warriors. Although the ending of Black Panther 2 had Okoye coming back, even more empowered as a Midnight Angel, with the suit personally designed by Shuri (Letitia Wright), Danai Gurira (who played Okoye) reveals that Coogler had a different ending for Okoye, initially.

READ MORE: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Sets the Tone for Okoye Disney+ Spinoff

Speaking with Deadline, Gurira opens up the initial ending Ryan Coogler designed for Okoye’s journey in the Black Panther sequel. As it turned out, Okoye was not even supposed to return as a Midnight Angel, but rather choose to be loyal to Wakanda in her own way, without having to become the general of the Dora Milaje warriors. Check out her full comment below:

“There’s another key one of mine, which is really my character saying bye to Shuri, and she just catches her in Haiti unexpectedly,” Gurira says, revealing further details of what a conversation with Shuri would’ve went in the alternate ending, “Shuri’s like, “Are you going back to Dora?” and my character says no. And she said, “Where are you going to go?” and I was like, “Wherever my blue suit takes me,” and she [Okoye] just takes off. And they have this beautiful moment, and then she just walks off.”

Gurira continues on to say where Ryan Coogler got the inspiration from, in which Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was supposed to be Okoye accepting she has to let go of fighting for her position.

“[Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.”

Although there had been talks of a potential Okoye spinoff after Black Panther 2, it is too early to declare for now, but it doesn’t change the possibility of a fan-favorite character leading their own series after Wakanda. What do you think of an Okoye spinoff for the Black Panther franchise?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still in theaters now.

ALSO READ: Black Panther Star Letitia Wright Says She Wants To Team Up With Tom Holland’s Spider-Man