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As in any superhero franchise, the use of existing themes is of paramount concern, and Göransson faced unusual associative issues in considering how to adapt his major themes from Black Panther into the sequel. With the main character deceased, the villain deceased, the kingdom a shell of what it once was, and secondary characters exploring all-new roles and identities, there were no easy answers when it came to reprising the prior themes in Wakanda Forever. These returning ideas are mostly wayward in the score, an intentional choice meant to accentuate a payoff at the end that suggests better times for these themes in future films. The Black Panther and Wakanda themes are marginalized as necessary until the conclusion, with very few allusions prior. The lack of the Killmonger theme other than flute suggestions in "Who Did You See?" is something of a disappointment, but a logical one. Shuri's theme from the prior film is almost completely subsumed by a new identity. The Ancestral Plane theme makes only one distinct cameo, while the Dora Milaje motif has a broader instrumental impact. Two dominant new themes (for Shuri and Namor) and a secondary motif (for the Talokans) are supplied for the primary characters of this tale, and their careful interaction with each other is more impressive than any of the comparatively needle-dropped applications of the previously existing themes. Serving as the main theme of Wakanda Forever is an identity that Göransson uses to address both Shuri's journey and the general sense of loss and mourning felt by the kingdom. Its underlying chords coincide with the "Born Again" song performed by Rihanna, and the actual Shuri melody emerges at 2:20 into the song in counterpoint, along with the Dora Milaje motif's vocals. Instrumentally, acoustic guitar and other Latin elements carry over from the other Rihanna song, "Lift Me Up," to complete the connections. The melody of the Shuri/mourning theme is somewhat elusive, surprisingly nimble but sometimes meandering in various incarnations of its five-note phrases. After a single quiet phrase to close "Nyana Wam," these pieces build in the middle of "Welcome Home" to a rousingly delightful statement at 1:20 but diminish thereafter as the character strives to self-reflect. It's drained of life and sometimes truncated in the solo vocals of "He Wasn't There," hints on guitar follow early in "Let Us Burn It Together" and struggle to enunciate in the latter half against the Namor theme, and a manipulated but somewhat tonal form stutters late in the battle of "Imperius Rex."

The new Shuri/mourning theme in Wakanda Forever continues to scuffle in the middle of the score as the character and kingdom are challenged. It takes a while to fill out in "Mama," consolidating at 1:30 on solo female voice, and is badly fragmented in "Who Did You See?," an extremely unpleasant cue. Underlying parts of Shuri's prior theme (from Black Panther) are subsumed by the new theme on nasty synths in "Wakanda Forever," and the idea drones on agonized strings in "Blood for Blood." It takes a cheaply electronic, anthemic form at 1:38 into "Yibambe!" and chords only persist at 5:20 in an almost James Bond-like fashion. Further development into a massive synthetically raw anthem awaits in the middle of "It Could Have Been Different." Better, though, are the sparsely subtle and sad renditions early in "Vengeance Has Consumed Us" on strings and choir that culminate in an overly melodramatic classical stature that may be considered by some to be a little awkward in this context. The synthetics in bass chords yield to the Black Panther theme to close out the cue. The idea then retreats back to solo guitar hints early in "T'Challa." Whereas the Shuri/mourning theme can sometimes slip by unnoticed, it's hard not recognize the new Namor theme in most of its rather consistent renditions. Its simple, three-note phrasing around key that repeats over meandering chords underneath seems to have a somewhat hypnotic intent from Göransson when dwelled upon, beginning softly at 1:14 into "Namor" and stewing thereafter in the cue. Namor's theme receives fuller bass accompaniment in "Lost to the Depths," finally exploring its chords, but retreats to a brief reference late in "Yucatán," becomes exotic in the middle of "Let Us Burn It Together," and is suggested early in "This Will Mean War." (Note that these latter two cues are supplemented by the song "Con la Brisa" in the film, and it's the oddly romantic song that most casual viewers will remember from this sequence.) The theme is elevated to massive proportions at 0:34 in "Namor's Throne," gaining rhythmic steam in the middle of the cue and potentially annoying in its repetition. It dominates the soundscape by the time it explodes at 2:48 and 3:43 into "Imperius Rex" with Talokan accents, resuming full menace mode over those Talokan elements at 2:04 into "Yibambe!" before turning highly dramatic in an intriguing twist that transforms the idea positively into the major key at 2:55 in an almost unrecognizable shift. The theme continues at 2:59 into "Sink the Ship" over a shrill, whining flute pitch but is reduced to only two-note phrases at the start of "It Could Have Been Different."

Related to Namor's theme but sometimes distinct is a four-note cyclical formation that serves the Talokan culture as a whole, and this material is most obvious in the big battle sequences of Wakanda Forever. The motif's structure is belabored throughout "Sirens" on layered vocals, attractive but obnoxious at the same time. It punctuates conflict by 1:05 into "Imperius Rex" with high choral tones, static movements, and rough attitude for a minute, manipulated into a related rhythm at 3:24 over throat singing. It adjoins the Namor theme in "Yibambe!," and the higher vocals become defocused to sound like animals over throat singing in "Sink the Ship," a really annoying cue. In something of a defeat, only slight, two-note fragments from this motif survive at the outset of "Alliance." The wayward returning themes in Wakanda Forever include T'Challa's Black Panther franchise identity, hinted early in "Wakanda Forever" but bursting for a new superhero at 2:38 into "Vengeance Has Consumed Us" for a wonderfully huge ensemble moment with electronic bass. The idea has a redemptive but anticipatory crescendo at the end of "T'Challa" as expected for future attribution. The related Wakanda theme is fragmented and joined by new progressions in the stellar "Welcome Home," combines with the new Shuri theme late in "Wakanda Forever," and lends its percussion elements to "Yibambe!" and the end of "T'Challa." The compelling Ancestral Plane theme is limited to the end of "Nyana Wam" on cello and later fuller strings and choir, a very nicely rendered moment of passage. Some listeners may also hear it subtly connected to the "Lift Me Up" song and its related score cue. The Dora Milaje motif concludes the "Born Again" song and recurs in the score with stylish but sparse contributions in "We Know What You Whisper," its vocals and dominant bass elements distinctive. The motif recurs in "Yibambe!" against the Talokan material in a smart but harrowing musical conflict. So much of Wakanda Forever could be described as such; it is intelligent music for this context but difficult to appreciate casually. The first half of the work is particularly grating at times, the soundscape either sparse or dissonant in fascinatingly unpleasant ways that strikingly mingle musical cultures. These elements are not always comfortable with each other, possibly by design, and the electronic textures for the new Shuri theme's anthemic performances are downright hideous. It's no surprise that Göransson's two really phenomenal cues, "Welcome Home" and "Vengeance Has Consumed Us," find a better balance in the mix for his synthetics. The sequel's music is further removed from the superhero genre and, despite its intellectual prowess, is a more difficult listening experience on album.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Music as Written for the Film:  ****
• Music as Heard on Album:  ***
• Overall:  ****

Total Time: 83:22