Relationship Spotlight: T’Challa & Shuri (Black Panther)

There are several important relationships of note in Black Panther, but I don’t think any are as fun as T’Challa and Shuri.  This brother and sister are fantastically entertaining together, playing their scenes with infectious humor and a comfortable warmth that brightens the screen (some T’Challa-Shuri-related spoilers.)

T’Challa and Shuri may have grown up royalty, and he might’ve just been crowned king of Wakanda.  He may be a superhero and she may be a certified genius running her own lab of crazy-amazing science toys.  But for all that, they’re also very much the quintessential big brother and little sister, and that sibling love/camaraderie shines through in all their scenes together.

I said in my Favorite Characters write-up about T’Challa that, while he gives his responsibilities the gravity they deserve, he also doesn’t take himself too seriously.  Nowhere is that more evident than in Shuri’s merciless teasing of her big brother.  She gives him crap in the middle of his own coronation, urging him to hurry along the formalities and get on with it already, and she takes full advantage of her superior STEM knowledge to have a little fun at his expense during a lab demonstration.  Their affectionate banter is super adorable, and T’Challa often seems at his most relaxed with Shuri.

As her older brother (and, again, as the one with superpowers,) T’Challa tends to be protective of Shuri, but he also recognizes her capabilities and desire to get in on the action.  Her contribution to the South Korea mission, remotely driving T’Challa’s car for him so he can focus on fighting the baddies, feels ideal – it leans heavily on her technical prowess and lets her help in a big way without leaving the safety of her lab.  Of course, Shuri can do a lot more than that, as she demonstrates when she fights alongside Nakia in the climactic battle against Killmonger, but it’s also understandable that, when T’Challa’s running the mission, he’d want to keep her out of the direct fray.  After all, while she’s definitely a fighter, it’s not indicated that her level of training is anywhere near T’Challa’s, Nakia’s, or Okoye’s, and for all her abilities, she is only a teenager, and it’s natural that T’Challa would want to keep her safe.

But if T’Challa wants to take the lead in a fight, he absolutely defers to Shuri’s knowledge when it comes to tech and science.  She’s the one who makes upgrades to his Vibranium suit and designs cool gadgets to help him on his missions, and when T’Challa encounters “broken white boys” in need of Wakanda’s advanced medical technology (like Agent Ross,) Shuri’s the one he trusts to fix them.  He’s fully aware of all she can do and plainly respects her for it.

I’m thrilled that Shuri is going to be joining T’Challa in Infinity War.  I don’t know how much screentime she’ll have or how much she’ll get to interact with non-Black-Panther characters, but I hope to see T’Challa proudly showing off all his little sister can do to his new American acquaintances (come on, there has to be a scene of Tony meeting Shuri, right?)