The reviews and numbers are in: Black Panther is lit. The movie is currently at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. As of its opening day, it is projected to have a $200 million opening weekend. So many hashtags describe the elation of the Black community and Marvel fans, such as #WakandaHereToSlay and #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe. It is one of the most talked about Marvel films to date. “Wakanda forever!” is not just a catchphrase; it’s now a way of life.
While Black Panther is the first installment of T’Challa’s story of becoming the King of Wakanda, it’s also a continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The events of Black Panther follow what happens after Captain America: Civil War. King T’Chaka is dead, and T’Challa has to mourn his father as well as assume a new responsibility for governing Wakanda. In addition to this, he has an ex-girlfriend he’s still in love with, and an old threat to Wakanda, Klaue, partners with a new threat, Erik Killmonger. Following this film, we know that Avengers: Infinity War will cause a lot of destruction, and fans are already theorizing how Black Panther affects the MCU. Here at CBR, we’ve gathered up 15 fascinating fan theories about the MCU after Black Panther.
Warning: Massive spoilers for Black Panther ahead.
15 THE SOUL STONE IS NOT IN WAKANDA
One of the most pressing concerns MCU fans have is when on Earth (or not on Earth) is the Soul Stone going to be revealed. Fans have been theorizing about the final Infinity Stone for what seems to be an infinite amount of time. Leading up to Black Panther’s release, many fans were convinced that the Soul Stone is in Wakanda, and it would be revealed in Black Panther. This was not the case.
Director Ryan Coogler explained the Soul Stone’s absence in an interview.
They didn’t want to include the Soul Stone in Black Panther because they felt it would take away from building Wakanda and T’Challa’s story. If the Soul Stone is, in fact, not in Wakanda, this would have to be revealed in Infinity War.
14 BUCKY WILL LEAD THE WAR DOGS
In the last of two credits scenes, Bucky is done with Shuri’s treatment: he is no longer programmed with any brainwashing. He is one of few links to Infinity War that we see in Black Panther. When finally Bucky emerges, Wakandan children say “The White Wolf” which is a reference to the Black Panther comics.
The White Wolf refers to Hunter, a white character who was adopted by T’Chaka after a plane crash killed his parents. The White Wolf has aspirations to be king, but T’Challa is born, so T’Chaka makes Hunter the head of the War Dogs. If Bucky is being called “The White Wolf” this can only mean that he will assume leadership of the War Dogs in either Infinity War or future Marvel films.
13 T’CHALLA WILL SEE KILLMONGER AGAIN
When it is revealed that Killmonger is T’Challa’s cousin, this makes the villain’s final scene even more heartbreaking. The royal family has a lot of complicated father issues. T’Challa is a good man and didn’t want Killmonger to die. However, Killmonger chooses death over a life in chains, so to speak. T’Challa likely doesn’t have closure with killing him.
This fan theory depends on a lot of other events happening, but it is intriguing nonetheless.
First, the heart-shaped herbs would have to be replanted. Then, T’Challa would have to be in a position where he takes the heart-shaped herb again -- perhaps his throne is challenged once more. In his vision, T’Challa could see the previous Black Panther, Killmonger, and exchange some words about his new plan to help others, thus gaining closure.
12 EVERETT ROSS TO FIGHT WITH CAPTAIN MARVEL
Everett Ross risks his life at least twice in Black Panther (and we’re not counting M’Baku threatening to eat him). He helps Wakanda, and his piloting skills are put on full display. In the film’s big civil war scene, Shuri asks Everett Ross to use his piloting skills to help take down the planes that are carrying vibranium out of the country. Ross does this, and he does it well.
Fans are assuming that it isn’t a coincidence that Captain Marvel is also one of the best pilots in the Marvel Universe. With Captain Marvel currently in production, fans are theorizing that Everett Ross could be what connects Captain Marvel in the '90s to the Marvel Universe now. We may see a younger Everett Ross flying alongside Captain Marvel.
11 THE SOUL STONE IS STILL IN WAKANDA
Some fans are still convinced that the final Infinity Stone is in Wakanda; we just don’t know it yet. There are numerous ways for it to be there. Some fans believe that the Soul Stone is in the middle of the vibranium mound. The reason why we haven’t seen it is because, as stated in the film, Wakandans are nowhere close to mining that far down.
Another way for the Soul Stone to be in Wakanda is linked to the heart-shaped herbs.
Some fans think that what gives the herbs the power to interact with souls who have passed is because of the Soul Stone. With Killmonger burning where the heart-shaped herbs are planted, this could unearth the Soul Stone when the Wakandans begin to replant.
10 NAMOR IS THE NEXT BLACK PANTHER VILLAIN
King Namor of Atlantis, also known as the Sub-Mariner has a complicated relationship with T’Challa. In the comics, Namor has tried to have an alliance with T’Challa, most notably in New Avengers. The group is called the Illuminati, a secret group of superheroes who will protect the world without the influence of their peers. However, T’Challa is a little salty at Namor because he had recently unleashed a tidal wave on Wakanda, causing much destruction and many deaths.
Atlantis and Wakanda at odds with one another would be interesting to see in the Black Panther sequel. T’Challa has just figured out what his role as king will be to his country -- the natural progression is to see him in conflict with another monarch.
9 M’BAKU WILL TURN ON T’CHALLA
M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe, is quickly becoming a fan-favorite character in the Black Panther film. He’s got the looks, the fighting spirit, and the sense of humor. That vegetarian diet is clearly working out for him. While he vies for the throne, he still yields to T’Challa, and he gives aid to T’Challa in the final civil war sequence.
In the comics, M’Baku isn’t trustworthy, so we shouldn’t be completely convinced that he will always be there for T’Challa.
In fact, there are entire storylines devoted to M’Baku trying to take over Wakanda. One of the ways he does this is by kidnapping a Dora Milaje member. It’s entirely possible that his friendliness is temporary, and he will turn on T’Challa when he gets the chance.
8 EVERETT ROSS IS THE NEW COULSON
In the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we had the recurring appearances of Agent Coulson to connect the films. With S.H.I.E.L.D. becoming more developed and getting its own television show, Agent Coulson has not been present in the MCU for some time now. It may be that Everett Ross of the CIA is about to be the new Coulson.
It would make sense that the CIA would want to have some relationships with these heroes -- they do work with national security issues, after all. Everett Ross could pop in at certain points in future MCU films to see what’s what. Also, it’s certainly possible that he was a pilot in the '90s, which could explain if there is cameo by him in Captain Marvel.
7 NAKIA WILL BETRAY T’CHALLA
The Priest run introduced the Dora Milaje, the all-female squad of Wakandan bodyguards. Okoye and Nakia were the original two. In the comics version of the Dora Milaje, they acted as potential wives for T’Challa, which was done to keep the peace among the tribes. Okoye knew this role was ceremonial, while Nakia became obsessed with T’Challa. In the film, Nakia is T’Challa’s ex-girlfriend, and she doesn’t consider herself as one of the Dora Milaje.
However, the future filmmakers may choose to include the Priest comic story of Nakia turning on T’Challa and becoming Malice.
Malice targets the various women of T’Challa’s life out of jealousy. While Lupita Nyong’o’s performance of Nakia doesn’t hint towards this at all in the film, we don’t know if an event can trigger this change.
6 BUCKY IS NOT THE NEXT CAPTAIN AMERICA
In the comics, Bucky Barnes assumes the role of Captain America after Captain America is assumed to be dead. With Chris Evans’s contract as Captain America likely ending soon, fans speculated that Sebastian Stan’s Bucky would be the logical successor. However, based on the final credits scene in Black Panther, it looks like Bucky is in Wakanda to stay.
If he’s being referred to as “the White Wolf,” which is the leader of the War Dogs in the comics, he’ll probably, for the first time in a long time, feel like he has a place he belongs to in Wakanda. We may not have someone take over the Captain America mantle, which would make room for a new trinity in the MCU: perhaps Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Black Panther.
5 STARK’S NEW ARMOR INSPIRED BY WAKANDAN TECH
Based on the trailer footage, fans are noting that Tony Stark’s new armor appears to be his Bleeding Edge armor from the comics. They are pointing out that it looks like his armor forms around him, which we see is a big part of Shuri’s new Black Panther suit design.
With Shuri heading tech research at the Wakandan outreach program in California, it’s entirely possible that Tony Stark will visit.
We know he loves new technology. He and Shuri can geek out together. What would be great about this dynamic is that Shuri, though young and a woman, would hold her own in a conversation about technology, and Tony would be inspired by her work. Tony could then create his Bleeding Edge armor based on the technological advancements Wakanda has.
4 SHURI WILL TAKE THE BLACK PANTHER MANTLE
In the Reginald Hudlin run of the Black Panther comics, Shuri has every intention of fighting for the title of Black Panther. It’s the interference of her mother that gets in her way. In the film, there is a moment where Shuri raises her hand during the trial ceremony as if she’s about to challenge T’Challa for the throne. However, she makes a joke about her corset being too tight and that they should just get on with it.
Fans have posited that this could be convenient foreshadowing. Letitia Wright is the breakout star of this film, so she’s definitely sticking around. When the MCU has wrapped up the story of T’Challa, Shuri could take the Black Panther mantle, which she eventually does in the comics.
3 WAKANDAN TECH WILL BE KEY TO DEFEATING THANOS
Thanos will pose a threat that none of the MCU heroes are prepared for. There is not much out there that is even close to the level of power the Infinity Gauntlet has. Asgard was the place where technology and magic were one and the same, but it has been destroyed.
MCU fans think that Wakanda will now be instrumental in our heroes being able to survive, and eventually defeat, Thanos.
We see a lot of cool technology in Black Panther, and we know vibranium is one of the most powerful elements that exists. If there’s a ton of vibranium yet to be mined in Wakanda, a bunch of it could be put to use with Shuri’s designs to take down the big purple guy.
2 WAKANDA WILL SHELTER ASGARDIAN REFUGEES
Thor: Ragnarok left the Asgardians without a physical place to call home. To top it off, Thanos’ ship appears right as the film ends. It’s not looking good for the Asgardians who have already survived the destruction of their home world. We know from trailer footage that Thanos comes to Wakanda, but perhaps the Asgardians will come to Wakanda as well.
This fan theory points out that Wakanda is already revising their foreign policy. For example, they are establishing a center in Oakland to help the less fortunate. In Black Panther, refugees are mentioned, and in the first credits scene, the United Nations asks T’Challa what their nation could do for others. Well, one of the things it could do is offer protection to the newly displaced Asgardian refugees.
1 WAR DOGS TO PARTNER WITH SORCERER SUPREME SANCTUMS
Part of Killmonger’s plan when he assumes the throne is to use the War Dogs to get weapons into the hands of black communities all over the world. The cities that he says have War Dogs at the ready are New York, London, and Hong Kong. Of course, these some of the world’s most major cities, but we have heard these cities be listed before in the MCU.
These three cities are where the Sorcerer Supreme sanctums are located as well.
We don’t know much about why these three cities are where the sanctums are, but we know that these are places where magical items are secured. If there’s a threat on the universal level like Thanos, the War Dogs could partner with the sanctums, since they’re already there, to protect the world.