The Casual Marvel Fan’s Guide to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The heart-shaped herb is a plant that grows in vibranium-rich soil.

The properties of the vibranium infuse the herb with powers, and it is this herb that must be ingested in order to become the superhuman Black Panther.

In the first movie, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) destroyed the rest of the heart-shaped herb after ingesting it himself and killing T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), hoping to prevent anyone from gaining the powers of the Black Panther and defeating him.

However, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) saved one and used it to bring T’Challa back to life.

At the start of Wakanda Forever, Wakanda is left with no heart-shaped herb and no way to save the dying T’Challa, let alone induct a new Black Panther.

Later on in the movie, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is able to use a relic from the vibranium-rich Atlantean city of Talokan to synthesize a new heart-shaped herb.