Black Panther’s Letitia Wright has officially been added to the growing cast for Avengers: Infinity War. The 23-year-old actress will portray Shuri in Black Panther to kick off Marvel Studios’ 2018 slate as Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hurtles toward its end. As T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, Wright will almost certainly make herself quite familiar to Marvel Studios’ massive audience come 2018.

Bringing the biggest characters of all recent MCU entries together for one giant multi-movie battle to protect the universe against the threat of Thanos, Infinity War boasts as deep a cast as you will ever see in an action blockbuster. All of the main players from the Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, and (of course) Avengers movies will join forces, including T’Challa/Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman gets his first starring vehicle as Black Panther next year before appearing in Infinity War, and his co-star Wright will be joining him.

Wright confirmed via Twitter on Friday that her addition to the cast of Avengers: Infinity War was official, quoting a report from the IMDB Twitter feed. “Blessings … super excited to be a part of this,” Wright said. Shuri is known in the Black Panther comics as a member of the Wakandan Royal Family with similar powers to her brother T’Challa, as she eventually assumes the mantle of Black Panther herself. She joins the MCU as a genius inventor who is apparently as smart as Tony Stark and will feature some of her own high-tech new gadgets.

Infinity War adds to what is already shaping up to be a huge 2018 for Wright, who will also appear in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One on March 30 between her appearances in Black Panther (Feb. 16) and Infinity War (May 4). Wright, who mostly grew up in London, broke into acting with recent roles in various British series. You may recognize her from guest appearances on Doctor Who, Humans, and Black Mirror.

Wright’s star is rapidly rising as she breaks through to roles in major studio tentpoles like Infinity War, and she will likely make plenty of noise as Shuri in Black Panther alone. The dynamic between Shuri and T’Challa is expected to play a major role in the movie, and Shuri will likely be at the center of its familial themes. If her character’s history in the comics is any indication, Wright certainly has a chance to eventually assume her own starring role as the younger, female Black Panther.

Despite Shuri’s major role in many of the comics, it’s unclear how significant Wright’s character will be in Black Panther or Infinity War. But the fact that she’s joining a crowded cast that already included fringe Marvel superheroes like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is still notable. Ultimately, Wright will have to really stand out in Avengers: Infinity War to overcome the sequel’s colossal star power.

More: Black Panther Movie Is All About Family

Source: Letitia Wright

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