Okoye and W’Kabi Argue About Wakanda’s Future in First ‘Black Panther’ Deleted Scene
One of the most dynamic and fascinating relationships in Black Panther was the one between royal guard lieutenant Okyoe (Danai Gurira) and her husband W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), whose conflicting ideologies about their loyalty to Wakanda provide the film with some of its best emotional moments. Black Panther’s very first deleted scene comes courtesy of director Ryan Coogler, and features Okoye and W’Kabi arguing about what they think is best for Wakanda after their king dies.
This scene appears to occur towards the final third of the movie, after (spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie yet) T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) loses his fight for kingship against Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and falls off the edge of the waterfall. W’Kabi has been convinced to take Killmonger’s side, while Okoye, despite her loyalties to Wakanda’s rightful king, whoever he may be, knows that Killmonger is the wrong man for Wakanda.
It’s a very cool little scene, but probably would have slowed down the action a bit, so I understand why Coogler unfortunately had to cut it. Plus, we already get some great Okoye/W’Kabi beats during that incredible battle sequence at the end, where their relationship essentially wins the war for T’Challa. Theirs is one of the best relationships in the MCU, neither one of them ever belittling the other or being manipulative even when they disagree.
Gallery – The Best Marvel Costumes: