The last time we visited the fictional African nation of Wakanda, a sense of guarded hope prevailed.

Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) was no longer a threat. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), aka the Black Panther, was king, addressing the United Nations. Even Oakland — the hometown of director Ryan Coogler — got its props, at both the beginning and the end of the film (with Atlanta actually portraying the East Bay city).

Much has changed since 2018’s “Black Panther” clawed the box office to shreds and became not only the sixth top grossing film of all time (current box office receipts stand at $1.35 billion) but one of the most successful Marvel Cinematic Universe productions ever as well as a cultural beacon that celebrated African pride and heritage.

Getting its epic sequel off the ground proved challenging, from filming in the midst of a pandemic to, even more devastating, adjusting to the death of beloved actor who played T’Challa, the 43-year-old Boseman, who lost his battle with colon cancer in August 2020.

For that and other factors, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” opening Thursday in theaters, occupies a more somber, bittersweet space in the Marvel universe. It’s a vulnerable film and a heartbreaking eulogy to Boseman, as a friend and actor, notably in its teary-eyed opening moments and the lovely end-credit scene.

But the sequel also furthers the Shakespearean power dynamics of the Wakanda world and delivers a strong anti-colonialism message, warning the world about stripping resources from the precious and valued lands of others.

“Wakanda Forever ” finds T’Challa’s brainiac scientist sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) struggling to move on after Black Panther’s untimely death. She joins her strong but still-in-mourning mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) in bringing Wakanda to the future while trying to fend off adversaries — including a newbie to the MCU, the undersea anti-hero Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who is defending his people and targeting Wakanda.

While there’s zero mention of Oakland this time, the storyline packs a punch and focuses on the powerful Black women leaders of Wakanda as they go on to accomplish badass things.

Prior to the film’s anticipated release, Coogler, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and cast and crew members gathered for a press conference to talk about the experience of making the film and how they managed to move the story forward, even at the toughest times.

For Coogler, who burst forth as a filmmaker with “Fruitvale Station” (about the killing of Oscar Grant) in 2013 and then knocked it out of the ring with 2015’s “Creed,” filming the “Black Panther” sequel marked a welcome reunion with former cast and crew who, in addition to new actors such as Huerta, helped him get through the pandemic and the loss of Boseman.

“I think everyone experienced a sense of loneliness during the years that followed that (COVID-19) crisis,” he said. “And it was great to give (cast/crew members) a big old hug again.”

Before Boseman’s death, Coogler and co-screenwriter and Bay Area native Joe Robert Cole had been whipping into shape a screenplay for about a year. It too addressed grief after the shocking conclusion and losses of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Although Black Panther is resurrected in “Endgame,” decisions needed to be made about what to do with the sequel after Boseman’s death.

“It was the shock (that) turned into, well what do we do?” Feige recalls. “What should we do? Should we do anything? And I think relatively soon, it was determined that this amazing ensemble of characters and this world that had been created on screen needed to continue.”

Acknowledging and paying respects to Boseman was key as well as staying true to the characters.

“As storytellers, you just want to be as honest as possible with what the characters would experience in the film after they experience the loss of T’Challa,” producer Nate Moore said.  “And that is not just grief, it’s also sometimes joy, sometimes humor. It is all of the emotions anyone feels with profound loss.”

That sense of loss extends to the antagonist in the storyline, Namor the Sub-Mariner – who swam into the Marvel Comic Universe in 1939 before DC’s Aquaman appeared in 1941. He wants to do everything in his power to save the underwater kingdom of Talokan, which is threatened. Talokan is based on Tlālōcān, part of Aztec mythology.

For the Mexican-born Huerta — featured in Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico” and 2021’s “The Forever Purge” — portraying one of the new characters on the lucrative MCU block was an honor, even if he had to wear skimpy swim shorts and learn how to swim (in his late 30s) to pull it off.

Playing the person intent on obliterating Wakanda presented its own set of challenges since Huerta personally relished the world of Wakanda and how it celebrated heritage and culture.

“So now I have to play the bad guy who tries to destroy that legacy, “ he said, adding that Coogler took great pains to make his character more complex than your average sundry villain and exploring what fueled Namor to take such drastic actions.

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For returning castmates, their characters confronted a new set of actions and reactions, which required wrestling with their own internal struggles in the aftermath of T’Challa’s death. The character perhaps most angered by his loss, and who is shouldering the burden of grief everywhere she goes, is Shuri. After her breakout performance in the first “Panther,” Wright’s character expands and emerges as one of the film’s most demanding roles in “Wakanda Forever.”

What helped the 29-year-old Wright approach her portrayal of Shuri for the sequel were the intense conversations she had with Coogler.

“I think it was just Ryan’s guidance on how do we create a full arc (for) this human being,” she said. “We always spoke. We always communicated, at every step of the way. And we were able to bring something that felt real … that felt truthful. And I was able to really give my heart to it and give Shuri a full arc.”

Watching Shuri’s grieving process, as she cycles through anger, sadness, and a resolve to move forward serves as a cathartic experience for those who watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

“Hopefully,” she says, “people can really resonate with that and find some healing alongside us.”