T'Challa becoming Star-Lord in Marvel's What If...? leaves the Black Panther mantle up for grabs, so why didn't it show Shuri as Wakanda's protector? Marvel Studios' new animated series on Disney+ began by showing audiences what would've happened if Peggy Carter took the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, but the second What If...? episode shifted the focus to T'Challa. It followed the would-be Wakandan king after he was wrongfully abducted by the Ravagers and helped change the cosmos forever.
The majority of What If...? episode 2 focuses on T'Challa's Star-Lord and a new-look Ravagers team, which includes a good, albeit weaker, version of Thanos, battling The Collector (Benicio del Toro). But, the episode ends with T'Challa going back to Earth for the first time since he was taken as a kid. His reunion with his family is shown briefly, but it provides glimpses of his father T'Chaka, his mother Ramonda, and his sister Shuri. Wakanda seems to be in condition even without T'Challa being around for the last few decades, but What If...? doesn't reveal who is the current Black Panther.
The Black Panther mantle traditionally goes to the current ruler of Wakanda, which in What If...?'s case is still T'Chaka. However, it is unlikely that he is still suiting up in the vibranium suit to fight, as even T'Challa was operating as the Black Panther prior to T'Chaka's death in the MCU's confusing sacred timeline. In theory, the absence of T'Challa would give Shuri a great claim to become Black Panther. If Shuri is the Black Panther in What If...?'s branched timeline, the show made sure to not reveal that to viewers. This would be a strange piece of information to omit on purpose, but there is a chance that the series wasn't allowed to put Shuri in the Black Panther suit because of Phase 4's plans.
What If...? head writer AC Bradley has repeatedly said that Marvel blocked any story for the show that was too close to what would actually happen in upcoming shows and movies. This included Marvel stopping stories about Jane Foster becoming Thor and something close to the stories of Avengers: Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Even though What If...? episode 2 wasn't entirely focused on Shuri becoming Black Panther, Marvel may have asked for this not to be included because of plans for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There's also the chance that Shuri was simply too young to be the Black Panther at this time.
It is widely expected that Shuri will be the new Black Panther by the time Black Panther 2 ends. If this is true, Marvel understandably could want to save Shuri's debut as Black Panther for the highly anticipated sequel and not as a background piece of information on What If...?. That doesn't mean that Shuri won't have a role to play in the animated show moving forward, as the marketing has already shown that she'll return at some point. But, Shuri's time as Black Panther is something Marvel is likely to save for Black Panther 2, with What If...? season 2 potentially able to use her Black Panther after.
Marvel's What If...? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
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