WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Marvel's Black Panther, in theaters now.


The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Wakandan. Thanks to meeting his previously unknown cousin Erik Killmonger and sympathizing with his ideology, T'Challa decides to break from centuries of tradition in Black Panther by revealing the African nation's secrets to the world. That part was always going to happen, given that it occurs in the comics.

What's more surprising, however, is what T'Challa does shortly before his announcement at the United Nations: Taking his sister Shuri with him to Oakland, California, the new king proudly declares that he bought a trio of buildings that also happened to be where Erik and his father N'Jobu lived in the 1990s. With the property now his, T'Challa plans to turn them into an outreach center, where those of African descent are free to learn more about Wakanda. To make sure everything goes smoothly, he hires two of the best women he knows to oversee the operation: esteemed spy Nakia, and Shuri, a technological prodigy and the smartest person in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

wakanda

Earth is soon going to be preoccupied with a threat from Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but the existence of the Wakandan Outreach Center opens up plenty of possibilities. Now that the world realizes Wakanda isn't a Third World country but instead light years ahead of the rest of the globe, everyone will want to visit that outreach center and see what all the fuss is about. That's more than enough of a springboard for a television series focused on a group of kids at the center learning all about Wakanda.

RELATED: Black Panther's Scene-Stealing Shuri is the MCU's Next Superstar

Here's the thing: Everyone loves Wakanda. The hype for Black Panther was palpable from the first trailer, and all eyes were on a movie that promised an African nation that thrived without white interference. Seeing Afrofuturism on screen was always going to be a big deal, but the movie goes above and beyond in providing a sense of awe and wonder of Wakanda. Not just in the regular sense of moviegoers seeing a new world for the first time, but in the eyes of the characters as well; T'Challa himself says that returning home and seeing it in its resplendent glory is a feeling that never truly goes away. Nowhere is this more apparent than when the Oakland kids gawk as T'Challa and Shuri's Wakandan aircraft touches down. That sense of wonder is something fans deserves to see on a weekly basis.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Why%20Not%20Follow%20Agents%20of%20SHIELD%20With%20a%20Black%20Panther%20Tie-In%3F']

Whether it's with this season or the next one, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is most certainly going to end in the near future. At its best, the show didn't rely on the crutch of merely existing as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, it used that as a backdrop to expand on territory not covered in the films or on the Netflix dramas. The same can be done with a show all about Wakanda; future movies will certainly do what they can, but there further expansion will definitely be required. Black Panther has already proved it can deftly switch between multiple genres on the fly; with the right creative forces, a television series could also have that same ability. If anything, that would probably be as good incentive as any to get memberships for that new branded streaming service Disney plans to launch.

Black-Panther-Wakanda

Shuri and Nakia are two of Black Panther's many breakout characters, and using them as the gateway for newcomers into this new world is the best decision that Marvel could make. Played by Lupita Nyong'o, Nakia clearly has an empathy and devotion to connecting with those in need, which makes her a perfect teacher. So many shows focused on young adults in a school environment portray teachers as either incompetent in some capacity, or just plain evil. It's important to remind viewers that there are teachers out there that truly have their best interests at heart and just want them to have the best education they can, something Nakia's viewpoint as the head of social outreach can provide.

RELATED: Black Panther Rescues One of Marvel's Most Problematic Characters

Portrayed by Letitia Wright, Shuri, meanwhile, can provide the youthful spirit kids would need to invest in their nation's science and technology. Being relatively close in age to those kids, she'd be able to appeal to their ever growing curiosity and need for excitement by showing them how to make awesome hoverbikes or headphones that slip out of their ears when they run. With Shuri being the genius that she is, she's no doubt going to become an icon for young black girls to look up to as they grow up. Giving those girls a look at Shuri's greatness every week would be the smartest move that Marvel's ever done, and Wright is clearly game and ready for more Shuri.

Black Panther's impact is bigger than anyone at Marvel Studios could've predicted, and the demand for more of this section of its cinematic universe is astronomically high. The Wakandan Outreach Center is the kind of ancillary content that fans will be making up stories about for years to come. Why not be ahead of the curve and give the fans what they'll undoubtedly want?


Now in theaters, director Ryan Coogler's Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker as Zuri and Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger.