As Black Panther 2 continues production, the MCU sequel is hampered by controversy surrounding Shuri actress, Letitia Wright. What's her situation?

Letitia Wright and her controversial anti-vaccination sentiments have become a major talking point ahead of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but what's the full story, and what does her MCU future hold? 

Following the resounding critical and commercial success of 2018's Black Panther, the inevitable sequel was immediately positioned among Marvel's most hotly anticipated follow-ups. A year on from Black Panther 2's official announcement, however, the man who brought T'Challa to life, Chadwick Boseman, tragically passed away after a private battle with colon cancer. Marvel later confirmed Black Panther 2 would continue production, but Boseman would not be recast.

In remembering its late star, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will elevate supporting members of the original cast, and this includes Letitia Wright. T'Challa's little sister and Wakanda's foremost scientific genius, MCU fans immediately took Shuri to their hearts, enjoying both her comedic barbs (she calls them sneakers) and her resolute grit in battle. Unfortunately, Black Panther 2 finds itself filming in very different conditions compared to the first installment. With the impact of COVID-19 still keenly felt across the globe, and major studios keen to avoid the mass shutdowns of 2020, procedures are required to minimize the risk of cast and crew contracting the virus.

Black Panther 2: Letitia Wright's response to the backlash only stoked the coals of controversy further

The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Letitia Wright controversy began in December 2020, when the MCU's Shuri actress shared an anti-vaccination video on Twitter alongside a praying emoji. 

Presented by Tomi Arayomi, the YouTube video in question takes a strong position against vaccination of any kind - COVID-19 jabs included - but offers no evidence to back up the claims being made. Indeed, Arayomi admits in the clip that he doesn't medically understand how vaccines work. As if baseless questioning of the COVID vaccine wasn't enough, others accused the presenter of transphobia and climate change skepticism through his videos, completing the online conspiracy theorist bingo card. Though Letitia Wright deleted the problematic post, her tweet had already been shared thousands of times, and many questioned whether the actress should be using her huge public platform to spread this brand of potentially dangerous misinformation.

Letitia Wright's response to the backlash only stoked the coals of controversy further. On one hand, Wright semi-apologized, stating, "My intention was not to hurt anyone," but the actress also doubled-down on the anti-vaccination spirit by complaining she was being cancelled for not conforming to popular opinion, and reaffirming the video "raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies." With a full and frank retraction nowhere in sight, Letitia Wright deleted her social media accounts to the backdrop of intensifying criticism, most notably from MCU co-star Don Cheadle, who summed up the mess by describing Wright's shared video as "hot garbage."

Unfortunately, that's not where Letitia Wright's anti-vax story ends. In October 2021, The Hollywood Reporter claimed the actress had been voicing anti-vaccination views on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set, whilst also revealing she had been dropped by her US representation due to the previous year's social media incident. A few days later, Wright returned to Instagram to deny THR's report, asserting that her behavior had been entirely professional throughout shooting Black Panther 2.

Only those directly involved with Black Panther 2 streaming ita Links to an external site. know the truth but, nevertheless, the story brought Letitia Wright's anti-vaccination beliefs back into public focus, and the subsequent response suggested her stance remained unchanged since the previous year's ill-advised tweet.