The upcoming release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from Marvel Studios promises to be a unique entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the unfortunate loss of Chadwick Boseman, the focus of the sequel to 2018's Black Panther has to shift away from King T'Challa and focus on the country he ruled.
However, that pivot in focus shouldn't be considered a detriment to the film. As the films of the MCU to date have revealed, there are secrets on top of secrets in Wakanda. Indeed, compared to the amount of lore linked to Wakanda in the Marvel comics, there's a limitless amount of lore to be explored in Wakanda Forever.
10 Vibranium Exposure Causes Severe Mutations
The first Black Panther film explored the origins of Wakanda's game-changing vibranium supply. The film actually opens with the entire backstory of the vibranium meteor crashing in Wakanda, with the valuable metal actually fusing with the ground below.
What the film skipped, however, is that the earliest attempt to harvest vibranium resulted in some of the earliest Wakandans being horribly mutated and becoming what the locals referred to as "demon spirits." While the original already dealt with a surprise challenger to T'Challa's claim to the throne, the comics feature the character of Jakarra, another son of T'Chaka who was mutated by vibranium exposure. The anticipated Wakanda Forever could dig deeper into this story.
9 Wakanda Had A Secret Hand In Historical Events
Wakanda has only recently stepped onto the world stage in the films of the MCU, but the secretive African nation has been a player in world events for centuries. T'Chaka even teamed up with Captain America (following a classic fight between heroes because of a misunderstanding) during World War II.
This past meeting of heroes wouldn't be possible in the MCU, as Cap was unaware of the lineage of the Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. However, there's still potential to look back at possible team-ups between T'Chaka and the remnants of the Howling Commandos during WWII.
8 There Are Hidden Kingdoms Within Wakanda's Borders
Wakanda delved into world affairs at the end of Black Panther, but Wakanda Forever could introduce viewers to secret worlds within the nation's borders. One such hidden world is found within the Black Tower of M'Kumbe.
Inside the great tower is actually a recreation of ancient Rome. Established by Flavius Scollio, a Roman soldier stationed in Africa during the reign of Caligula, the tower contains a complete recreation of Rome of that era. It's one of the weirder aspects of Marvel lore, appearing only once in Fantastic Four (Vol 1) # 241 (with a script and art from John Byrne), but it's definitely something Wakanda Forever could explore.
7 Atlantis Is Only One Hidden World Wakanda Forever Can Explore
It's known from the promotional material for Wakanda Forever that the events of the film will bring Wakanda into conflict with Namor and the Kingdom of Talokan, which is known as Atlantis in the comics. However, Talokan is only one of multiple hidden Earth empires and continents from the comics.
The MCU is inching ever closer to the introduction of mutants and the X-Men. What better time to introduce the Savage Land, a hidden continent of prehistoric beasts frequented by Marvel's merry mutants, than now? Wakanda's emergence as a world power also opens the door to introducing the island nation of Genosha, infamous in the comics for its history of oppression toward mutants.
6 Wakanda's Techno-Organic Jungle Could Change The World
T'Challa's promise to share Wakandan technology for the benefit of the world closed out the first Black Panther film. It only makes sense for Wakanda Forever to explore some initiatives meant to make that a reality. Among T'Challa's greatest inventions from the comics was the Techno-Organic Jungle.
In the comics, T'Challa invented the Techno-Organic Jungle as the ultimate combination of nature and machine. It merged vibranium-based technology with a techno-organic virus in the hopes of making machinery and nature work together in harmony. Using the mechanical jungle in Wakanda Forever would be a perfect method for Shuri to use her potential to make her late brother's dreams a reality.
5 Wakanda Has A Rich Spiritual History
The idol of the Black Panther looms large in Wakanda. However, it's not the only symbol of the nation's spiritual history. While Bast, the Egyptian panther god, is the centerpiece of the Black Panther lineage, other gods helped shape Wakanda's history.
In the original Black Panther film, the exiled Jabari Tribe and its connection to the gorilla idol were explored. Wakanda also has the Lion Cult, which spawned the lion goddess and Black panther villain Sekhmet, as well as the Crocodile Cult and the Hyena Clan. A potential Wakandan power vacuum makes it reasonable that all religious sects might emerge to wrest control of the country.
4 Vibranium Is A Component Of Adamantium
Captain America's vibranium shield is probably the most iconic piece of hardware in the MCU. In the comics, though, the legendary shield was the first example of adamantium, the same indestructible metal that coats Wolverine's skeleton.
One of the elements used in creating the first adamantium sample was, of course, vibranium. Knowing that the MCU will welcome at least a version of Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3, it might make sense for Wakanda Forever to at least allude to Cap's shield not being pure vibranium, and that the shield's true components might have other applications.
3 The Dora Milaje Aren't Just Bodyguards
The first Black Panther film established that the Dora Milaje are the Wakandan monarchy's loyal corps of bodyguards. The Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier further established that the group takes on missions on the international stage.
What neither entry into the MCU explored, however, is the fact that the Dora Milaje are also intended to be wives-in-training to the king of Wakanda. Women were recruited from every tribe in ancient Wakanda to maintain unity among all tribes when the time came for an unmarried king to select his queen. With succession looming large, this ancient tradition might warrant exploration in Wakanda Forever.
2 Wakandan Intelligence Agencies Are Among The World's Best
Intelligence is an aspect of Wakandan defense seen at work in all MCU depictions of the nation. To date, though, viewers have seen it handled only by the Dora Milaje. While Wakanda Forever trailers seem to hint at the Hatut Zeraze (the Wakandan secret police), Wakanda has other intelligence agencies.
Among them are the N'Charu Sliema, an organization considered on par with MI6 and the CIA, as well as P.R.I.D.E. (Princess Regent Intelligence Division Executives). Both organizations contributed to Wakanda being among the only nations on Earth with contingencies for extra-terrestrial incursions. Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Eternals, the Wakanda of the MCU definitely needs intelligence organizations with such capabilities.
1 The Black Panther Lineage Goes Back Centuries
The Black Panther lineage has only been touched upon in the MCU. To date, fans have only been exposed to T'Challa, his father T'Chaka, and the villain and usurper Erik Kilmonger. As covered in the first Black Panther, however, the Black Panther mantle is older than Wakanda itself.
Prehistoric Bosi impressed Odin for having remarkable resilience for a mere mortal in the year 1,000,000 B.C. More recently, Bashenga was a shaman of the panther cult of ancient Wakanda, he forged the first vibranium weapons, became the first King of Wakanda, and - as such - the first official Black Panther. As Shuri looks to carry on her brother's legacy, looking back at how long that legacy stretches is worth exploring in Wakanda Forever.