The Wakanda Files Details Shuri's Big Plan For The Heart-Shaped Herb

While this year has been tragically bereft of Marvel movies due to the coronavirus pandemic delays, fans can get their MCU fix with the new book from Epic Ink, The Wakanda Files. Through the lens of Black Panther's Shuri (Letitia Wright), the book dives deep into the science and technology that is behind so many of the MCU's superheroes (such as explaining, for instance, why Captain America was able to survive being frozen). 

Wakandan genius Shuri compiles the information in the form of papers, blueprints, articles, and her own notes, which — perhaps most interestingly — reveal her plan for the superpower-bestowing Heart-Shaped Herb.

In Black Panther lore, the Wakandan leader is traditionally given a liquid containing the Heart-Shaped Herb to grant them the super strength, stamina, and agility of the Black Panther. We've seen both T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) ingest it and be transported to the ancestral plane. But moments after gaining its power, Killmonger burned the garden, laying waste to the stock that was meant for future generations. However, The Wakanda Files reveal that, hopefully, all is not lost, as Shuri is working on how to get more Heart-Shaped Herb plants out there.

According to Syfy Wire, Shuri writes in The Wakanda Files that she wants to synthesize the Heart-Shaped Herb, since it's been completely wiped out. She is even open to the idea of adding vibranium to the synthetic plant, but for now, her efforts seem to be at a standstill until she can study a sample of the real plant. Of course, thanks to Killmonger, getting her hands on a Heart-Shaped Herb will be rather difficult now, because it's unclear if any of these incredible plants existed outside of the Hall of Kings, where Killmonger burned them. In the scene, Killmonger is depicted as asking, "This is all of it?" and getting confirmation. 

However, what if there is a wild Heart-Shaped Herb growing in Wakanda, somewhere unknown? The ecology of Wakanda is entirely unique in the world, because of the vibranium asteroid that impacted the land thousands of years ago. This vibranium ash settled into the soils, changing the plants and animals in the area, and the legend goes that the first Black Panther was led to the powerful plant by the goddess Bast. So, when it comes to the Heart-Shaped Herb, it's possible the Wakandan stock all came from that one mutated plant — but that doesn't mean that there might not be some hidden plants growing deep and unassumingly in Wakanda. 

Due to Chadwick Boseman's tragic death, we may see a new person take the Wakandan throne in Black Panther 2, so perhaps Shuri's efforts will come to fruition in the upcoming film.