Artist celebrates Black Panther sequel with "Wakanda Forever" mural in Harlem

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Thursday, November 3, 2022
Black Panther Mural
Wakanda Forever release celebrated by local muralist in Harlem, NYC.

NEW YORK -- To celebrate the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" film, Marvel has partnered with a local artist in New York, Vince Ballentine, for a one-of-a-kind mural. Ballentine explained the excitement around this project saying, "Wakanda is a place that a lot of people wish they could go to. It's a place that if it did exist in real-world terms, I would be on a plane, going there right now."

For Ballentine, the Black Panther mural will be especially meaningful within the Harlem community. "Black Panther in particular is of African descent," says Ballentine. "A lot of Harlem is of the diaspora."

The mural took almost five days to complete and highlights "Shuri," Black Panther's sister and one of the most impactful characters in the Marvel Universe.

"This is like a reimagination or a reimagining of sorts, where now we can see things in a beautiful way," says Ballentine. "They can be fictitious but they can still be something to strive for or have morals, have pride and have honor behind it."

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" premiered in theaters on November 11. Marvel Studios is a division of Disney, the parent company of ABC Localish.