Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverThe Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to creatives wanting to be a part of it or appearing in roles that you might not necessarily think they’re going to be in. And that role typically comes in the form of A.I. systems for our favorite characters. It is how we ended up withPaul Bettanyas Vision in the MCU given his previous status as Tony Stark’s A.I. system JARVIS. We also got to see a bit of it withJennifer Connellyas Karen inSpider-Man: Homecomingand so on and so forth.
Who Is Griot?
So, it should surprise no one thatLetitia Wright’sShuriinBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverhas her own celebrity back to bring life to the new A.I. system Griot, and he is voiced by none other thanTrevor Noah! We got to meet Griot in the firstBlack Panthermovie, but he had more of a starring role this time around — and given Shuri’s importance inWakanda Forever, it’s not hard to see why. In the first film, we were on this journey withChadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, and so we got to see Shuri with Griot but it wasn’t to the same extent as it is inWakanda Forever.Getting to see a bit more of their dynamic in this film does excite us for the future of Shuri and Griot working together, making whatever kind of technology their hearts desire.
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A.I. Systems in the MCU
A.I. systems in the Marvel world are so important. As stated previously, sometimes they become different characters altogether, but they mean something to fans as well. There’s a reason many of us have our electronics named after the A.I. systems that Tony Stark built (if that is just me and my friends, sorry, but my phone is named FRIDAY and she does call me “Boss”). What’s fun about Griot is that he tries to push Shuri in the same way that JARVIS did before him. He’ll tell her when her mother is coming, he’ll try and get her to call those she’s been ignoring, and he’ll try to be the one that steers Shuri in the right direction even if he’s not necessarily a real being. But as we learned from Tony and Peter Parker’s connections before, your A.I. system is something that can be so important to you so why not consider Griot a new character to love?
Trevor Noah’s Future in the MCU
Having Noah voice Griot is also fun! Now that Noah, who is about to end his run as host ofThe Daily Show with Trevor Noah, is a bit freer, what if we saw a lot more of Griot in the Marvel world? To be fair, I just miss the A.I. aspect of the MCU because after the death of Tony Stark, we only really had it with Peter’s suit inSpider-Man: Far From Homebefore it was taken away inSpider-Man: No Way Home.
Maybe it’s just that I want more A.I. back, or maybe it is because it’s nice having Trevor Noah back but afterWakanda Forever, I’d like more of Griot, please!
