The long-awaited "Black Panther" sequel, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," is a cultural milestone packing a financial punch — with $350 million expected this weekend at the global box office.

• Why it matters: "Black Panther" gave Black America a hero and representative on the big screen, Axios Local managing editor Delano Massey reports.

Now the franchise has to move forward with a new leader after the death of Chadwick Boseman, the beloved actor who portrayed T’Challa in the original film.

• The sequel "puts Black women first and foremost in a movie," "Black Panther" novelist Jesse Holland told Axios.

Before the Black Panther came onto the scene in 1966, the superhero world "only envisioned white people as heroes, and Black people as victims or sidekicks," Holland said.

• "This is, frankly, why Afrofuturism began," Holland told Axios. "There are Black people who want to see us in comic books. We had to start writing it ourselves to ensure the correct portrayal."

Watch a trailer ... Go deeper: Why Disney needs "Wakanda Forever," by Axios' Hope King.

"Black Panther" was a true tipping point for diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Axios visuals team reports.

• 11 of the 16 Marvel movies released since (setting aside ensemble casts) have had a woman or a person of color at the center.

What's next: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," premiering today, will be the first-ever Marvel movie with a Black woman lead.

• Go deeper: See this story as a comic strip.

1. Above: Musicians battle the rain today during a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
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3. 🇺🇦 Jubilant residents welcomed Ukrainian troops into the key southern city of Kherson today after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since its invasion in February. —Reuters
4. It took less than a week for FTX to go from the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange to filing for bankruptcy today. CEO Sam Bankman-Fried resigned. Read the statement ... Go deeper.

Native American veterans gathered in Washington today to dedicate a memorial honoring their military service, Axios' Shawna Chen reports.

• The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian expected more than 1,500 Native veterans from 125 tribes in a procession along the National Mall ahead of the dedication ceremony.

The National Native American Veterans Memorial opened two years ago, but the pandemic delayed the dedication ceremony until now.

• The landmark is the first national memorial honoring the military contributions of Indigenous people — who serve in the U.S. Armed Services at a higher rate than any other group, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

More than 140,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives who are veterans currently live in the U.S., the department says.

• If you're going ... Keep reading.