Angela Bassett slams ‘Black Panther’ director for film’s shocking plot

Warning: This story contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Don’t annoy the queen.

Black Panther star Angela Bassett revealed that she and the film’s director Ryan Coogler had a falling out over the film’s twist with her character, Queen Ramonda, IndieWire reported.

The 64-year-old Oscar nominee – who plays the royal matriarch of Wakanda – is killed during the film’s climax during a confrontation with villain Namor (Tenoch Huerta) protecting another character.

According to Coogler, the sacrifice is the catalyst for Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) to become the leader of Wakanda. Bassett, on the other hand, did not agree with the vision.

“I appealed,” she said. “Yeah, I was like, ‘Ryan, what are you doing? Why? You will regret the day! You will regret the death of [Ramonda]. People are going to be so upset,’” the actress warned.

“‘He said, ‘Angela, I know, I know, but look, dying isn’t really dying in this world. It doesn’t have to be like that,'” the actress recalled. “All kinds of crazy things happen.”

According to Bassett, it was unclear if she would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

“At the end of [‘Black Panther’], I didn’t know if I would come back. I certainly hoped I would. I didn’t die,” Bassett recalls.

Bassett added that she received a letter from Coogler following the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020.

“Ramonda needs to step up now,” Bassett recalled of the letter it was in.

“She has to be there for Shuri; she is queen You’re just a very important place in this film.”