I Run This is a weekly interview series that highlights Black women and femmes who do dope shit in entertainment and culture while creating visibility, access and empowerment for those who look like them. Read my Wendy Osefo interview here .

Danai Gurira hasnt processed everything it took to make Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just yet.

Marvel Studios latest has reigned at the top of the box office for five weekends straight, grossing more than $400 million in the U.S. Its a Marvel blockbuster, of course, so that doesnt come as a surprise especially as fans were eager to witness how the franchise would honor the late Chadwick Boseman , who died in 2020 before filming started for the follow-up to the movie that he helped make a cultural phenomenon .

The beautifully heartwarming surprise, however, came from the collective sense of homegoing that became a major on- and off-screen part of the Wakanda Forever experience. Watching it, it felt more like a triumphant tribute than a superhero movie. Silence during the films moments of mourning begat silence among theatergoers. The legacy Boseman left behind was felt and honored throughout the film and into the press run for director Ryan Coogler and the cast.

We had a very clear purpose in mind to honor our brother with this film, Gurira said. That was the purpose. It was about bringing his beautiful legacy to the people again. And so if that happened, if people are receiving it, that is everything to us.

Gurira has played Dora Milaje General Okoye since the character was introduced in the MCU with Black Panther in 2018. In Wakanda Forever, Okoye is stripped of her title after failing to protect Shuri (Letitia Wright) from being captured by the Talokanil. It is arguably the first time audiences see Okoye in a vulnerable state. Gurira said that while Okoye wasnt on screen as much as fans probably wanted, it was important for them to see her fail.

And as Okoye grieves King TChalla (Bosemans character, who dies off-screen at the beginning of the sequel), her strength couldnt be displayed as it once was. Gurira, who is also known for playing the role of Michonne on The Walking Dead, said that was for the best, as they wanted to free themselves of the strong Black woman obligation.

Thats what weve been denied storytelling-wise in this world as a whole, the American-Zimbabwean actor said. We dont get to show our complexity. We get put in a box: Youre a strong, Black woman. Be strong. Shut up. But the idea of saying, No, were going to fail and were going to be vulnerable and were going to be in pain. And those are things that we should be allowed to be. And to do that to Okoye, I think, was a very smart move of Ryans, because she is such a quintessential strong woman in some ways.

For I Run This, Gurira talks about the lessons Boseman left for her, her own mourning mirroring Okoyes, and the dreams she has for her career in television and film.