Main image via Walt Disney
Black Panther is a superhero film unlike any other. The record-setting film with stellar reviews is definitely a must-watch! But while you’re watching, you might’ve missed a thing or two.
If so, don’t worry ‘cause we got your back. Here are 5 things you might’ve missed. Major spoilers ahead!
- The Intro
Main image via Walt Disney
Black Panther’s intro is an animated story that tells the history of Wakanda, Vibranium and the five tribes.
At first, it appears like the tale of Wakanda is being told to T’Challa, but only later do you realise the tale is actually being told to Erik (aka Killmonger) instead, by his father, N’Jobu.
One of Killmonger’s memorable lines from the film is, “Can you believe that? A kid from Oakland walking around believing in fairytales.” He’s referencing the stories his father told him about the mystical African country.
- The Soul Stone
Main image via Forbes
It seems likely that Wakanda is the home to the last Infinity Stone in the Marvel Universe, the Soul Stone. The theory is that the Soul Stone is buried somewhere under the garden of the heart-shaped herbs, which give Black Panther his powers.
When Black Panther drinks the heart-shaped herb, part of the ceremony sees him communicating with the souls of his dead ancestors. Sounds pretty Soul Stone-ish, no?
Also, in the Infinity War trailer, Wakanda is a big battleground, so it makes sense that Thanos heads to Wakanda for the Soul Stone, which probably fell to earth inside the Vibranium meteorite. But, we’ll need to watch Infinity War to be sure.
- The Other White Boy
Main image via Walt Disney
You might’ve noticed this at the end of Black Panther, but after Ross is healed by Shuri in Wakanda, she comments that he’s the second white boy they’ve treated.
At the time, it’s an odd thing for Shuri to say because there aren’t that many white characters in the film. We thought at first that she was referring to Klaue. Perhaps, once upon a time, the Wakandans mercifully saved his life and he betrayed them.
But the post credit scene shows what Shuri’s comments were really referencing. She’s talking about Bucky (aka Winter Soldier). Bucky tells Captain America he wants to be put on ice until they can fix his brain, and in the post-credit scene of Black Panther, we see a healthy Shuri-treated Bucky.
The Infinity War trailer also shows him fighting alongside Captain America and the Wakandans against Thanos.
Another thing you may notice in the post-credit scene is the kids calling Bucky “White Wolf”. The White Wolf is a character in Black Panther lore, who crash landed in Wakanda as a child. He gets adopted by T’Chaka and grows up to be an ally of T’Challa.
There would be a lot of lore-twisting to make Bucky this character – but who knows?
- The Shoe Jokes
via GIPHY
There are at least three shoe jokes in the sequence between Shuri and T’Challa.
First was Shuri calling the silent shoes she gives T’Challa “sneakers”.
After that, Shuri screams “WHAT ARE THOSE” pointing at T’Challa’s ugly sandals. This was a reference to the 2015 internet meme that started on Vine where a kid yells that at a cop with ugly shoes. It’s a bit odd, but this movie is supposed to take place in 2016, so that might be why.
Lastly, Shuri comments that she designed her shoes to lace-up like “that old American movie” their dad used to watch. It’s a reference to the auto-lacing Nikes in Back To The Future.
- The Spies
Main image via Walt Disney
When Killmonger takes over the throne, his plan is to ship Wakandan weapons to oppressed people across the world for worldwide uprising. Most of the spies located all over the world resist the idea except for the ones in three locations: New York, London and Hong Kong. Familiar? These are the three locations of the Sanctums in Doctor Strange, reportedly built on places of power.
We don’t know what exactly Thanos has planned for his invasion, but we know that there have been footages of the Sanctums being hit.
Is it possible that corrupt Wakandan agents have something to do with Thanos when the time comes? If they’re willing to abandon T’Challa for Killmonger, why not?
Wakanda’s real life roots.
This isnt something you missed per se, but another cool thing about Black Panther.
Twitter user Waris assembled a neat collection of photos that show where all the different tribes of Wakanda took their costume inspiration from. Everything about Wakanda is pretty much drawn from African past and present. The photos are a neat look at how the beauty of the film was directly linked to Africa, even if Wakanda is fictional.
via GIPHY
Article via Forbes