How does the new Black Panther get their powers? Towards the end of the first Black Panther movie Killmonger in an attempt to stop anyone challenging his rule over Wakanda, burns all of the Heart-Shaped Herb. This is the miraculous flower that allows one Wakandan warrior to become the Black Panther.
Killmonger hoped by burning the plant, he could prevent anyone else from ever becoming Black Panther, but Nkari managed to smuggle out one plant. This final plant was used to restore T’Challa’s powers which he then used to save the day. Still, though, the Heart-Shaped Herb is gone, and with T’Challa’s death, there’s no one left with the Panther’s powers. So how does the new Black Panther get their powers? Warning spoilers ahead.
How does the new Black Panther get their powers?
Shuri develops a synthetic Heart-Shaped Herb, which is partially derived from T’Challa’s DNA. She uses the herb and is transported to the Ancestral Plane, like countless Black Panthers before her, where she meets Killmonger.
Upon returning to the land of the living, Shuri worries that it didn’t work, but it just turns out that her synthetic version needed a bit more time to get going.
If you want to know more about Wakanda, we have guides to two major Black Panther characters, Namor and Ironheart, or if you’re interested in learning more about wonderful actors who bring these heroes to life, we have an article all about the Black Panther cast. Finally, there’s our Black Panther 3 guide, which is about all the panther-based content we can provide.