Angela Bassett Warned Wakanda Forever Director That Her Character's Twist Could 'Upset' Fans
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is now playing in theaters.
Angela Bassett pushed back against her Black Panther character's fate.
The Oscar nominee, 64, plays Queen Ramonda in the Marvel movies, and in the new sequel Wakanda Forever, the grieving matriarch dies at the hand of villain Namor (Tenoch Huerta) while she saves Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). Her death plays a pivotal moment in the story as her daughter Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) rises to become a leader in the wake of another tragedy for the Wakandan royal family.
Bassett told IndieWire that when she learned her character dies in the sequel, she talked with director Ryan Coogler about why it might be a regrettable twist.
"I objected. I was like, 'Ryan, what are you doing? Why? You will rue the day! You will rue the demise of [Ramonda]. People are gonna be so upset,' " she said. "He was like, 'Angela, I know, I know, but look, to die is not really to die in this world. It doesn't really have to mean that.' "
About possibly returning in future Marvel movies, she added, "All kinds of crazy things happen."
RELATED: Lupita Nyong'o Explains Why She Was 'Frustrated' with Her Character Arc in Wakanda Forever
Annette Brown
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
The actress also explained why she was drawn to Queen Ramonda and her storyline.
"I try to be all the way vulnerable, but there's still a fire. I want women to rise and fight back," said Bassett. "It's a mother's fierce love for her family. It's even in times of grief, never forgetting who you are, where you're from. 'Don't forget always the old ways. Take the now and take something from the past.' That sisters are leaders and protectors, it's all of that that's in there, and it's brilliant."
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Costar Lupita Nyong'o recently told PEOPLE about grieving the death of Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer at age 43 in 2020, with the cast as they made the sequel that honors his legacy.
"When Chadwick died, we were in isolation in a way that was new to all of us. And we didn't have the opportunity to come together to process it," she said. "And so coming back to Wakanda was kind of that delayed moment of a community that lost him, coming back together."
"I was relieved personally that I didn't have to pretend that I wasn't going through grief and I could bring my grief to work and put it to good use," continued Nyong'o, 39. "And I was actually eager to get back on set because I knew that that set would be populated with people who knew what I was going through. Who had the empathy, the sympathy, and were themselves going through it."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters.
