The Black Panther franchise has been dormant for almost two years, but the superhero studio will officially restart soon with a new entry in the story of Wakanda.
At the end of 2022, Marvel Studios released what would become the fourth in a list of seven consecutive comic book sequels. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) debuted as part of Marvel Phase Four and saw Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and the nation of Wakanda go up against Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his Talokan army.
Overshadowing the whole affair, though, was how Marvel and director Ryan Coogler would handle the tragic passing of T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 from colon cancer.
The decision not to recast and to instead kill T’Challa off inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe proved incredibly divisive. While Marvel executives, such as Nate Moore, stated that Black Panther was a mantle, ardent fans claimed that the removal of the most iconic iteration of Black Panther in Marvel Comics history was a step too far.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously claimed that it felt “much too soon” to recast the part. Marvel’s choice was so polarizing that boycotts were declared against Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with some claiming that putting T’Challa’s death onscreen was “Black trauma.”
Still, the movie was released and grossed just over $850 million at the worldwide box office. This was shy of a few million from Black Panther‘s (2018) haul, which was universally celebrated and revolutionized Black superheroes on the big screen.
At present, no active work is being done on a third Black Panther film, but the TV series Eyes of Wakanda has been confirmed and will likely be released this year.
A Wakanda-centric series was initially announced in 2021, with Ryan Coogler attached. Updates have trickled in over the course of three years, and now it seems more weight is being given to it as it nears release.
“This is a story about Wakandan history. It’s produced by Ryan Coogler, directed by Todd Harris, who is one of our longtime storyboard artists,” Brad Winderbaum said on the official Marvel podcast this week (via Deadline).
“It’s an awesome show; the action is insane, and the storytelling is fantastic,” he added. “It’s both about the history of Wakanda, but it also expands into the greater MCU at different time periods. So if you’re a fan of the movies, I think this show’s gonna be a real treat.”
Eyes of Wakanda will be the third animated title from Marvel Studios, following What If…? and X-Men ’97. While the previous animated projects existed in the MCU but outside of the main continuity–in the Multiverse, if you like–Eyes of Wakanda directly plays into the timeline, as Winderbaum told Men’s Health in March 2024.
As for what Eyes of Wakanda centers, the official synopsis reads: “Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story.”
However, Eyes of Wakanda is not a replacement for the live-action project that was announced in 2021.
“Eyes of Wakanda is also separate from the live-action Wakanda-based series that Coogler is developing as part of a multi-year overall TV deal between Coogler’s production company Proximity Media and the Walt Disney Company,” Variety noted in January 2024.
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With Wakanda Forever, the MCU gained its new Black Panther in the form of Letitia Wright’s Shuri–the sister of King T’Challa. Shuri, then, will seemingly reappear further down the line in future Marvel projects.
It will most likely be in Phase Six, considering that Phase Five will end in just under a year in Thunderbolts* (2025), and there seems no good place for the current Black Panther to appear.
That said, in the world of the Multiverse Saga, anything is possible. And that has never been more true for the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) coming this July.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will make their MCU debuts as the titular characters, and all reports suggest that it will be a huge Multiversal affair featuring a variety of cameos from across the MCU and Fox superhero spectrum.
Related: Marvel Is Being Forced to Scrap Troubled MCU Movie as New Information Comes To Light
Even music icon Taylor Swift is rumored to appear, potentially as Dazzler or even as Lady Deadpool (although Blake Lively is certainly looking likely for the latter). Still, no official confirmation has been made by Marvel, Disney, or director Shawn Levy on her role in the movie.
As for Eyes of Wakanda, there is no confirmed release date, but the animated TV series is due to air sometime in 2024.
Will you be watching Eyes of Wakanda when it debuts on Disney+? Let us know in the comments down below!
