A deleted scene from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shows how Danai Gurira’s Okoye almost became the new Queen of Wakanda after Ramonda’s death.

A deleted scene from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reveals how Okoye almost became queen of Wakanda. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, and co-written by Joe Robert Cole, the sequel to 2018’s Black Panther sees the Kingdom of Wakanda dealing with the aftermath of T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) death. Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and the Talokans quickly attack Wakanda (Tenoch Huerta) afterward, which causes Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) to task Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) to track down Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). After Namor kidnaps Shuri and Williams, Ramonda strips Okoye of her title of general of the Dora Milaje, which leads to her becoming a Midnight Angel near the end of the film.

Now, in a deleted scene released via IGN, Okoye’s arc could’ve taken a completely different direction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Check out the scene, below:

In the scene, Okoye’s uncle (Danny Sapani), who is a member of the Border Tribe, tries to convince her to become Queen of Wakanda in the aftermath of Ramonda’s death. Her uncle believes that Shuri is not fit to be queen, as she is still grieving from the loss of her brother, which could cloud her judgment for the safety of Wakandans. Clearly, Okoye doesn’t completely agree with her uncle given the expression on her face during the scene, and ultimately, Wakanda Forever takes her character in a different direction.

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This Scene Could Have Completely Changed Okoye’s Arc In Wakanda Forever

At the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Okoye, Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and Aneka (Michaela Coel) take up the mantle of the Midnight Angels. And while the movie does evolve Okoye’s arc and sets up Marvel’s yet-to-be-titled Disney+ Midnight Angels series, the film’s deleted scene could’ve completely shifted the direction of Okoye’s arc if she were to become Queen of Wakanda. The movie ends with M’Baku (Winston Duke) challenging the throne, while Shuri goes away to Haiti to reunite with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), but that may not have happened if Okoye followed through her uncle’s moral challenge.

In future installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, M’Baku may become the new King of Wakanda. However, should that scene have been included in the movie, the film’s ending could’ve taken a different significance. After the Midnight Angels are done rescuing Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) from imprisonment (which could lead into the events of Secret Invasion)could Okoye have come back to Wakanda to challenge M’Baku for the throne? Unfortunately, that’s something audiences will now never know since the scene was not included in the final film.

Still, it is interesting to see what could’ve been, especially when T’Challa’s death and the real-life loss of Chadwick Boseman played a significant role in evolving the characters’ arcs from where they were at the end of Avengers: Endgame to where they are now after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While it’s still unclear where we will see Okoye next in the MCU before the Midnight Angels show, it’s exciting to see that her arc could’ve taken a completely different direction than what was shown at the end of the sequel. Time will tell exactly how the Midnight Angels will factor in the MCU’s future post-Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it’s clear that audiences haven’t seen the last of them as Phase 5 soon kicks into gear.