A deleted scene from Black Panther confirms Okoye and W’Kabi were married. Fans may have fell in love with T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in Captain America: Civil War, but that movie only scratched the surface of his world. Director Ryan Coogler fully fleshed out his kingdom in Black Panther. The focus of the film still catered to the titular hero, but a great deal of it also opened up Wakanda and introduced audiences to a bunch of new characters. One of the characters to quickly become a fan-favorite was Danai Gurira’s Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje.

Okoye is a no-nonsense leader in Black Panther and cares deeply about the country she’s sworn to protect. The film also established a connection between her and Daniel Kaluuya’s W’Kabi but their relationship status wasn’t clearly defined. Just because we didn’t see it in the movie, though, doesn’t mean there wasn’t the option to fill it in. The movie’s editor previously talked about a powerful scene between the two that had to be cut, and now it’s here for everyone to see.

USA Today exclusively revealed the deleted scene for Black Panther. The clip features an intro from Coogler were he confirms the two characters are married. Once the scene actually begins, we get to see an exchange between husband and wife as they debate what is best for Wakanda, only for them to see they aren’t as like-minded as they may have previously thought. Watch Coogler’s commentary and the deleted Black Panther scene in the video below.

Fans will obviously wonder why this wasn’t in the final cut as it’s an emotional scene. Gurira and Kaluuya give strong performances in the movie overall, but this would’ve been their best scene still. Unfortunately, Coogler and the team didn’t feel like it fit naturally into the third act of Black Panther and had to be left on the cutting room floor. At least we get to see it now, and those who purchase Black Panther on home video will gain access to it as well.

Okoye and W’Kabi clearly had a romantic relationship in the film, but knowing they are married makes the film’s ending even more impactful. W’Kabi stands by Killmonger in the final battle, while Okoye and the Dora Milaje turn on him once it is revealed that T’Challa lives. It leads to the husband and wife standing opposite each other in combat, where W’Kabi lays down his weapon to be arrested by his wife. That is sure to have a ripple effect on their relationship moving forward if it’s explored in the sequel. So, even though this isn’t part of the final cut, it still fits into the story told and can bolster Black Panther even further.

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Source: USA Today

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