Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the latest MCU installment and the final film in Phase 4. The film follows the country of Wakanda as they mourn the loss of their King T'Challa and deal with a new threat from Namor of Talokan. The Black Panther sequel continues the MCU tradition of containing Easter eggs that connect the movie to the wider cinematic universe.
While there were some expected Easter eggs, there are a few that viewers may have missed the first time around. Fans love watching MCU movies for the references to other films, references to Marvel Comics, and other various nods for eagle-eyed viewers to pick up on.
10 Scott Lang Is Going On A Book Tour
Early on in Wakanda Forever, CNN's Anderson Cooper makes a cameo appearance. He is doing a news report on Wakanda a year after T'Challa's passing. If fans look closely at the bottom ticker they can see a pretty big Easter egg: Scott Lang is going on a book tour.
Lang's memoir, Scott Lang: Look Out for the Little Guy!, and a podcast show that Ant-Man is becoming a bit of a celebrity in the MCU. This was further referenced in the first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, albeit humorously when someone mistakes him for Spider-Man.
9 Namor Is A Mutant
While explaining his backstory to Shuri in Talokan, Namor describes himself as a mutant. This is significant as he is the first self-described mutant in the MCU. There is also a real possibility that he is the first mutant, given that he is 500 years old in Wakanda Forever.
Fans are starting to see mutants slowly being integrated into the MCU after Disney bought Fox back in 2019. Kamala Khan was said to be a mutant in Ms. Marvel, a variant of Charles Xavier appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Deadpool and Wolverine will appear in the upcoming Deadpool 3.
8 The Three Elephants Reference Shuri, Ramonda, and T'Challa
Queen Ramonda speaks with Shuri on a beach, having a heart-to-heart with her about T'Challa on the first anniversary of his death. When they look out into the water, they see three elephants, one adult elephant and two younger elephants.
It is possible that the elephants represent the royal family of Wakanda: Shuri, Queen Ramonda, and T'Challa. As they see the elephants while talking about T'Challa, it is a reminder that the bond between the three was strong and what is left now that T'Challa is gone.
7 Ironheart's First Flight Mirrors Tony Stark's
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When Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, links up with Shuri and Okoye, the CIA is hot on their tail. In Wakanda Forever's first chase sequence, Williams uses her self-made suit of armor, which rivals Tony Stark's Iron Man suit. Ironheart finds some limitations in her suit, though.
Ironheart flies too high and loses oxygen, and her flying skills are a little rough around the edges. This directly mirrors Tony's first flight in his suit in the original Iron Man film. Tony also ran into some issues, like when his suit inadvertently froze due to flying too high.
6 MIT Is Very Integrated With The MCU
Shuri and Okoye track down the scientist who built a vibranium-detecting machine. To their surprise, it was Riri, a student at MIT. They visit her in her dorm room and convince her to come with them to Wakanda for safety. This is not the first time MIT has been featured in the MCU.
As fans remember, Tony Stark attended MIT and gave a lecture at the school about holograph technology in Captain America: Civil War. MIT is also heavily mentioned in Spider-Man: No Way Home as it is the dream school for Peter Parker, MJ Watson, and Ned Leeds.
5 New Asgard Treaty Shows The City Is Expanding On Midgard
A second news report from CNN's Anderson Cooper also features a telling MCU Easter egg. Another bottom ticker headline says that New Asgard, where Thor's people have settled on Earth after the destruction of Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok, is involved with some sort of treaty.
While there is no other information given, the snippet shows that New Asgard is growing in the MCU. As seen in Thor: Love and Thunder, New Asgard seems to be thriving under the watch and leadership of King Valkyrie. Fans can expect to have New Asgard feature prominently in the MCU moving forward.
4 M'Baku's Carrot-Eating Calls Back To Black Panther
When M'Baku first appears, entering the Wakanda throne room during a meeting led by Queen Ramonda, he is eating a carrot. This may not be the most exciting Easter egg of Wakanda Forever, but it does hilariously call back to a moment in Black Panther that involves M'Baku.
In the first film, M'Baku tells Everett Ross "one more word, and I will feed you to my children." As Ross looks on, horrified, M'Baku replies, "I'm kidding. We are vegetarians." This callback adds some humor to the sequel and proves that the line was not a throwaway joke in the first film.
3 Imperious Rex Is Namor's Catchphrase In The Comics
During the final battle of the film, Shuri (now the Black Panther) goes head-to-head against Namor. When Shuri exclaims "Wakanda Forever!", Namor responds with, "Imperious Rex." While some fans may have been confused as to what it means, comic fans know that this is Namor's catchphrase.
"Imperious Rex" translates to "Empire King" and was often used as a battle cry by Namor. He uses the phrase shortly before battling Shuri, and in the comics, he used it to intimidate his enemies. Since the phase was only used once and Namor is likely to appear again, fans can expect to hear his battle cry more often.
2 Shuri Not Allowing Vengeance To Consume Her Harkens Back To T'Challa And Zemo
Shuri gets the upper hand on Namor and contemplates killing him. When she entered the Ancestral Plane, she was shocked to see Killmonger instead of T'Challa. He tells her that T'Challa was a weak leader who couldn't do what was necessary to lead, like kill his enemies.
Shuri ultimately decides to spare Namor, saying that she did not want vengeance to consume her. It plays out very similarly to T'Challa sparing Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War where he spares the man who killed his own father.
1 T'Challa's Son Toussaint Is Named After A Great Haitian Hero
Wakanda Forever's only post-credits scene reveals that T'Challa fathered a son with Nakia. They both decided to have their son raised in Haiti, far away from the pressures of the throne of Wakanda. He is named Toussaint, but his Wakandan name is T'Challa.
T'Challa's child is named after him, but the child's Haitian name bears significant meaning. Toussaint Louverture was a general during the Haitian Revolution who rose from a slave to a war hero. He led the most successful slave revolt in history and is revered as a national hero in Haiti.