Diamonds aren’t the only things that are forever. Part two of of the greatest super hero story ever told is finally here.
Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released November 11, 2022. “Forever” is the sequel to 2018’s lauded “Black Panther,” both based on the OG Marvel comic book character first introduced by Stan Lee in 1966.
Writer and director Ryan Coogler, who helmed the original “Black Panther” film returns for the sequel alongside cast members Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’O, Letitia Wright and Abraham Clinkscales.
“Wakanda Forever” features some new additions to the cast including Tenoch Huerta as big bad, salt water daddy Namor and Dominique Thorne as wunderkid Ironheart.
Pisces priestess Rihianna lends her voice to the power ballad “Lift Me Up” the first single from the “Wakanda Forever” soundtrack. Rihanna co-wrote the song with Coogler to honor the memory of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman. Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the original film, died in 2020 following a battle with colon cancer. Out of reverence for Boseman and his iconic turn as Black Panther, his role as King of Wakanda has not been recast. News of this decision, coupled with the “Black Panther 2” trailer left audiences wondering who the new Black Panther will be, with a last frame silhouette suggesting a woman will wear the sacred mantle in the sequel. Amen.
In celebration of the life of Boseman and the legacy of Black Panther, we bring you a list of the film’s characters through the zodiac signs. Read on, and as ever, Wakanda Forever!
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
Okoye (Danai Gurira)
Aries is ruled by warrior planet Mars and Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, is the distinguished leader of the Dora Milaje, the fierce all female fighting unit tasked with defending the royal family. Never subtle but always effective, Okoye is a skilled martial artist who counts the spear as her weapon of choice. Typical of an Aries, she looks great in red and is known to intervene in fights she is asked to stay out of and abjectly refuses to back down in battle, even when squaring off against her husband.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya)
Stubborn to the hilt and nursing a grudge that will destroy him, W’Kabi played by Daniel Kaluuya, calls to mind some of the less than stellar qualities of the bull people. Taurus folk are noted for their loyalty though often, in their pursuit of what they think is just and what they believe they deserve, they lose sight of the big picture and come galloping in on a rhino ready to kill their countrymen in an ill advised, lose lose vendetta. Taurus is ruled by Venus, planet of love and attachment, and in yielding to his wife Okoye in battle, W’Kabi ultimately proved himself more lover than fighter.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
Everett Ross (Martin Freeman)
A dicey, irritable CIA operative who deals in espionage and sarcasm, Everett Ross is distinctly Gemini in disposition. Apropos of an air sign, he’s an aces pilot and an expert interrogator. Playing both sides, winning at mind games, vaguely untrustworthy and fair to middling albeit enthusiastic about learning another language? All in keeping with the Gemini spirit.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
M’ Baku (Winston Duke)
In the case of M’Baku, played by Winston Duke, a tough guy exterior guards a very tender heart. My favorite Wakandan, M’Baku reveals some tell tale signs of his crustacean sun sign. His ruthlessness is a kind of ruse and he often uses the perception of others for his own comic benefit, a modality in keeping with Cancer the uncontested comedian of the zodiac. Cancer is synonymous with caretaking and rules over the fourth house of home. True to form, it is M’Baku that places T’Challa in the ice cave to help him heal and he who offers refuge and protection to Queen Ramonda.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett)
Regal AF, born for elaborate headwear and carrying the confidence that she can dispatch an enemy with the slight bow of her head and silence a room just by stepping into it, Queen Ramonda is all lion. Played beautifully by Angela Bassett, Ramonda proves that Leo is ruled by and leads with, the heart. Marked as she is by an unflinching devotion to her children and her nation, Ramonda demonstrates her regal bearing and allegiance to her country by refusing to escape Wakanda in spite of the danger she faced from Killmonger. A true queen, she does not leverage her station to treat others as lessers but rather to decree that everyone is equal in, and essential to, the fruition of Wakanda.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Zuri (Forest Whitaker)
Zuri, played by Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker, is a secret hoarding shaman bent on keeping his country isolated, a modality very, very close to the Virgo cause. Represented in the tarot by the Hermit card, the solar destiny of Virgo is to retreat into the wilderness to uncover cures that benefit man kind and to guide them towards the light of consciousness. Apropos of this, Zuri is in charge of ceremonies and customs observed by Wakandans, overseeing coronation and consumption of the Heart Shaped Herb. But, it ain’t all good guy, no sus beahvior with Zuri or with the Virgo contingent. Ruled as they are by Mercury, Virgos can easily drift into the unsavory and the deceitful, a point proven by Zuri who was a War Dog before he was a holy man.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
T’Chaka (John Kani)
Late king T’Chaka was diplomatic, well spoken, highly likable and quietly powerful, qualities in keeping with the virtues of Libra. This air sign is sometimes more concerned with how things look than how they should rightfully be, a misplaced priority that helps explain why T’Chaka left his nephew Erik Killmonger to fend for himself after killing his father. As Marvel Wiki explains, “While T’Chaka might have been concerned with the state of the world, he was a traditionalist at heart and put his nation’s traditions and interests above all else. To that end, he was ready to fib to his family, to the point of even omitting the shameful parts of his life, so as to keep the line of succession to the throne safe.” Lying to keep the peace and acting duplicitously under the guise of greater good? Libras all day every day.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)
Vengeful, driven by a generational grudge and sexy AF, Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is perhaps the most emotionally complex, good as a gray area kind of villain the Marvel universe has ever produced. He also illustrates some serious Scorpio energy. Scorpio is the sign of power, of death and regeneration, of things done in the dark and strings pulled behind the curtain. Losing his father baptized Killmonger in death at a very young age and the experience of that loss led to the distillation of his desire to dethrone his cousin. Scorpios are notoriously single minded and ruthless in pursuit of their desires. As Killmonger admits to T’Challa, “I lived my entire life waitin’ for this moment. I trained, I lied, I killed… just to get here… And all this death… just so I could kill you.”
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o)
Oft dispatched to points across the globe (a veritable dream for an archer) where she intercedes in humanitarian efforts, Nakia, played by Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o resists romantic commitment, speaks her mind freely and questions authority regularly, all hallmarks of the Sagittarius spirit. Sag folk harbor a bit of the sage and Nakia is no exception, wisely advising T’Challa, “You can’t let your father’s mistakes define who you are. You get to decide what kind of king you are going to be.”
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman)
As the allfather of the zodiac, Capricorns are concerned with enacting standards and leaving a legacy that will outlive them. Brought to life by the late, great Chadwick Boseman, T’Challa’s power and guiding light continue to be honored by the cast and crew of “Wakanda Forever” who chose not to replace nor CGI imitate their fallen leader, preferring instead to craft a story about grief, endurance, and the living legacy of the dearly departed.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18
Shuri (Letitia Wright)
With this line, “Just because something works doesn’t mean it cannot be improved,” Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, cemented her status as Wakanda’s resident water bearer. Aquarius energy is about innovation, the synergy of humanity and technology and emotional objectivity, a trifecta made manifest in genius princess Shuri.
Runner up for Aquarius goes to Ironheart AKA Riri Williams played by Dominique Thorne. A kid genius in her own right, Ironheart reverse engineered the armor of Iron Man Tony Stark. According to Marvel, she “builds her own suit of advanced armor and leads a life of adventure, crime-fighting, and humanitarianism as the Super Hero known as Ironheart.” Humanitarian adventurer? Water bearer through and through.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Namor (Tenoch Huerta)
There’s a new villain on the block and he’s coming correct with jewel earrings, a wet look/ fresh out the ocean aesthetic and a lot of emotional baggage. Played by Tenoch Huerta, Namor is described by The Ringer as “much more than your average Big Bad. He is Marvel’s first mutant and first true antihero, a sea-dwelling Atlantean who has fought against humanity and its superheroes over the years.” A super swimming, sometimes flying Neptune worshipping mutant antagonist up in his feels? Pure Pisces dream fuel.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.