Spoilers forward of “Eyes of Wakanda.”
“Black Panther” nonetheless stands as one of many Marvel Cinematic Universe’s artistic excessive factors, and “Eyes of Wakanda” solely provides to its already-impressive legacy. When the animated sequence was introduced again within the winter of 2023, the premise of Wakandan warriors retrieving artifacts all through historical past felt like the proper enlargement of the present “Black Panther” lore. Furthermore, some followers immediately famous the similarities between Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) and the said mission of the present’s Wakandan “Battle Canines,” main them to surprise if we’d get to see the beloved Marvel antagonist once more. Properly, the MCU fan-favorite does seem in “Eyes of Wakanda,” however not in the way in which you’ll suppose, and it is the proper sneaky nod to Killmonger’s first look within the franchise.
The primary episode of “Eyes of Wakanda,” which is titled “Into the Lion’s Den,” focuses on Noni (Winnie Harlow), a former Dora Milaje warrior who’s monitoring down The Lion (Cress Williams), one other rogue Wakandan who made off with a bunch of vibranium artifacts and weapons. It is vital that Noni stops The Lion earlier than he grows highly effective sufficient to start a struggle with Wakanda, and it is not laborious to identify the parallels between their battle and the one between T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Killmonger in “Black Panther.” What’s extra, it seems particular operatives have been enterprise comparable missions for hundreds of years, which deepens the bizarre ties that Killmonger has to his Wakandan lineage. As a substitute of returning these weapons residence to be locked away in some vault, The Lion needs to take revenge for oppressed individuals by drive.
All this gathering of Wakandan artifacts additionally acquired me questioning whether or not or not Killmonger was going to point out up in “Eyes of Wakanda,” and the sequence’ last episode did not disappoint in that regard. Titled “The Final Panther,” this chapter follows two Wakandan operatives on an journey that not directly units up the well-known — and pivotal — scene the place Killmonger pays a go to to the Museum of Nice Britain in “Black Panther.” Certainly, as has grow to be a motif within the MCU, it seems Wakanda was liable for creating certainly one of its largest issues years earlier than it turned a difficulty.
Eyes of Wakanda units up Killmonger’s greatest scene in Black Panther
“The Final Panther” opens within the Ethiopian metropolis of Adwa, circa 1896, and follows Prince Tafari’s journey together with his guard Kuda. They’re on the lookout for a Wakandan artifact in a storage home, however that turns into more durable as a result of an ongoing battle between Italian army forces and Ethiopian resistance fighters. Tafari will get the gleaming hammer, and followers of “Black Panther” will instantly acknowledge it as having the identical form because the one which Killmonger sees within the British museum early in that movie. If that was the one nod, that may be greater than sufficient, however issues go deeper for our odd couple, as evidenced by the truth that The Watcher is within the background of their mission after the title card rolls.
In Marvel Comics continuity, The Watcher solely reveals up for main league-level historic occasions, which is why it is vital when he briefly seems in animated sequence like “X-Males ’97,” “Your Pleasant Neighborhood Spider-Man,” and now “Eyes of Wakanda.” We discover out why when Kuda and Tafari finally meet the titular “Final Panther” (Anika Noni Rose), who traveled again in time with assistance from a “Quantum Scanner.” Because it seems, their mission is to seek out the artifact that causes an apocalyptic alien invasion sooner or later and stop it from falling into Wakandan arms earlier than T’Challa’s run-in with Killmonger. In different phrases, “Eyes of Wakanda” actually makes use of Killmonger’s iconic second to inform one of many coolest multiverse tales within the MCU’s total Multiverse Saga so far.
Apparently, sooner or later timeline, humanity was set upon by some kind of insect horde and fell as a result of Wakanda by no means adopted the mixing philosophy that it developed after the occasions of “Black Panther.” In essence, T’Challa wanted to fulfill Killmonger and battle over their differing views to make sure that Wakanda can be on-hand to assist fend off these extraterrestrial invaders. Nonetheless, he cannot do this if the axe is not in Adwa when it falls, as a result of it has to cross by means of the black market over many years to make its approach to the museum seen in “Black Panther.” It is an impressed pull from the sequence’ creatives, showrunner Todd Harris included, and it is made all of the extra poignant by the selection to make this journey the one that happens closest to the MCU’s present-day in “Eyes of Wakanda.”
Why Eyes of Wakanda is a profitable addition to the MCU
Killmonger himself is a well-liked sufficient Marvel character that he continues to encourage spirited arguments years after each “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally” launched in theaters. That type of emotional connection is rarer than we want in the case of comedian e book films, and the selection to anchor probably the most bold story in “Eyes of Wakanda” to Killmonger pays off. A standard grievance about this present cycle of “multiverse storytelling” is that its tales lack weight as a result of it is laborious to connect stakes to conflicts when characters might be immediately changed by their carbon copy variants from worlds we all know little or no about. And whereas I do not share these complaints, “Eyes of Wakanda” nonetheless presents a workaround that lots of people will reply nicely to because of its hyperlinks to “Black Panther.”
Little doubt, Marvel followers are going to theorize about what this implies for the long run timeline of Wakanda and if we’ll see “The Final Panther” once more someday quickly. Rose, for her half, is not any stranger to taking part in royalty, and plenty of “Black Panther” followers most likely love her efficiency as Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog” too. Regardless, it is a good way to craft one other layer of reference to audiences, as Rose’s casting makes all of the sense on the planet. In the meantime, the MCU’s TV reveals have been on a scorching streak for a couple of 12 months now, and “Eyes of Wakanda” is arguably the primary animated mission that is felt tailored to take a seat alongside the property’s live-action choices. If there is a lesson to be discovered right here, it is that the MCU’s interconnectivity, when dealt with proper, is extra of a power than one thing to be overcome.
“Eyes of Wakanda” is now streaming on Disney+.
