Here are all the best callbacks to Black Panther (and to decades of Marvel Comics) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
1. A Heart-Shaped MacGuffin
Although his illness is unspecified, King T’Challa dies in basically the same way that Chadwick Boseman did: He’s passes away after a battle with an incurable illness. Technically, Black Panther shouldn’t be able to die in this fashion; he’s supposed to be protected by the magical powers of the “Heart-Shaped Herb” that grows in Wakanda and gives Black Panthers their superhuman abilities. But there are no more Heart-Shaped Herbs left after the events of Black Panther — Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) destroyed them all after he usurped the Wakandan throne in order to ensure no one else could challenge his claim to the kingdom. In Wakanda Forever, there are still no herbs left to help T’Challa when he is ill, and Shuri cannot figure out how to create a synthetic version (at least not yet).
2. King Bashenga
During the funeral for T’Challa, a reference is made to Bashenga, Wakanda’s first king. The character holds a similar position in the pages of Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the pages of Black Panther #7, written and drawn by Black Panther co-creator Jack Kirby.
3. T’Challa’s Challenge Weapons
When we see T’Challa’s coffin at his funeral, a shield and spear are placed next to it on the ground. These were the weapons T’Challa used in the first Black Panther during the challenges to his monarchy, first by M’Baku and later by Killmonger. As the ceremonial arms used during ritual combat, they are clearly very important symbolic objects to the people of Wakanda.
4. Black Panther’s Helmet
Eagle-eyed viewers may note that during T’Challa’s funeral procession, Shuri is carrying the Black Panther helmet worn by Chadwick Boseman in Captain America: Civil War, not the Black Panther movie. There’s a good reason for that: Technically, the Black Panther movie suit didn’t have a helmet at all. At least within the fictional reality of the MCU, that entire costume was comprised of advanced Wakandan tech housed entirely inside a necklace.
5. A Familiar Voice
The actress who plays the woman overseeing the search for vibranium at the bottom of the ocean is Lake Bell. This is her live-action MCU debut, but she voiced the character of Black Widow in several episodes of What If…?, subbing in for Scarlett Johansson.
6. Scott Lang, Hustler
The CNN news ticker shown onscreen during the film reveals that Scott Lang — AKA Ant-Man — has released an autobiography titled Look Out For the Little Guy. Recently, the Ms. Marvel series revealed that Scott Lang also had a podcast. That guy really stays busy when he’s not being a superhero.
7. New Developments in New Asgard
The CNN news ticker also mentions a trade agreement involving New Asgard, the nation of Asgardian refugees that settled on earth during Avengers: Endgame after the planet of Asgard was destroyed during Thor: Ragnarok.
8. “You Owe My Brother.”
When Shuri asks Everett Ross for his help in tracking down the scientist who created the vibranium locator, she reminds him “You owe me. You owe my brother.” That’s a reference to the events of Black Panther, where Ross was shot and nearly killed when Killmonger broke into the CIA facility where Ross and T’Challa were interrogating Ulysses Klaue. T’Challa used his kimoyo beads to stabilize Ross and bring him to Wakanda, where Shuri used her advanced medical technology to save his life. He definitely owes them.
9. More Familiar Underwater Characters
Namor’s closest advisors from Talokan include a man who wears an elaborate fish skull as a crown, and a woman adorned with a crown of feathers. Eventually, we learn this is Attuma (Alex Livinalli) and Namora (Mabel Cadena), both important characters from Marvel Comics, where they hail from Atlantis, not Talokan. In the comics, Attuma is traditionally a rival of Namor’s for the throne of Atlantis, while Namora is his cousin.
10. A Handmade Suit of Armor
Wakanda Forever introduces us to Riri Williams, the young woman who will eventually become the Marvel hero Ironheart. While she gets a very advanced suit of armor later in Wakanda Forever, the first one she dons in the film is homemade and piecemeal, recalling Tony Stark’s Mark I armor from the original Iron Man. (When Shuri spies Riri’s blueprints, she even asks “Is that Stark tech?”)
11. Director de Fontaine
Did you catch when Everett Ross referred to a new director of the CIA? Then you might not have been too surprised when the director shows up and it’s none other than Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. After first appearing in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, she then returned in the post-credits scene from Black Widow, where she seemed to be assembling a team of heroes to work for her and the U.S. government. This group will be known as the Thunderbolts, who will be getting their own movie in Phase Five of the MCU.
12. Another Missing Member of the Black Panther Ensemble
One crucial supporting player from Black Panther who did not return for Wakanda Forever is Daniel Kaluuya who played W’Kabi, an ally of T’Challa’s who turns against him because of his desire to see Klaue killed for his crimes against Wakanda. His absence is referred to in dialogue between Queen Ramonda and Okoye; the former mentions that while her husband is dead (that’s King T’Chaka, who was killed in Captain America: Civil War), Okoye can visit hers in jail. Presumably W’Kabi wound up in prison over his (admittedly pretty treasonous) acts in the last film. In reality, Kaluuya was busy making Jordan Peele’s Nope, and couldn’t work Wakanda Forever into his schedule.
13. The First Mutant
Ryan Coogler changed a lot of the details of Namor’s origin, but he maintained one crucial aspect: Namor is regarded as one of the very first mutants in the Marvel Universe, because his ability to breathe out of water and to fly with his little ankle wings is not shared by any of the other people from Talokan (Atlantis in the comics). While Namor hasn’t spent a ton of time with the X-Men, he has on occasion — and he was even the star of a series titled Namor: The First Mutant.
14. Six Years?
Queen Ramonda tracks down Nakia in Haiti, where we learn she has been living in disguise for six years. How has she been gone for six years when Black Panther only came out four years ago? Well, that’s because our world’s timeline does not match up perfectly with the MCU. Black Panther came out in 2018 but its events took place right after Captain America: Civil War, which happened in 2016. Then there’s “The Blip” from Avengers: Endgame, where half the universe was snapped out of existence by Thanos for five years (including T’Challa). If we have this right, Wakanda Forever technically takes place in 2024 as a result.
15. The Midnight Angel
Throughout Wakanda Forever, Shuri works on a suit of armor she calls the “Midnight Angel.” Marvel.com describes the Midnight Angels as “a small elite group of assassins from Wakanda who serve their beloved country.” In the comics, it’s Ayo and Aneka who wear that very distinctive Midnight Angel armor; in the film, it’s Aneka and Okoye.
16. Did the A.I.’s Voice Sound Familiar?
Since the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the company has been employing high-profile actors with distinctive voices to portray various artificial intelligences. Paul Bettany was J.A.R.V.I.S., Kerry Condon portrayed F.R.I.D.A.Y., and Jennifer Connolly was Karen (not an acronym, for some reason). In Wakanda Forever, Shuri’s A.I. Griot is voiced by The Daily Show host Trevor Noah. Noah also provided Griot’s voice in Black Panther, but his role is much larger in this film.
17. The Return of Killmonger
Marvel fans have speculated about the return of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger in Wakanda Forever; he asked T’Challa to bury his body in the ocean, and this sequel was set underwater in Namor’s kingdom, so it seemed like that could be a path to a surprise resurrection. Jordan does appear in Wakanda Forever, but not as anyone expected. Black Panther established that part of the ritual of becoming the Black Panther involves eating the Heart-Shaped Herb and going to the “Ancestral Plane” to confer with previous Wakandan leaders who have passed away. When Shuri takes the herb, she is shocked to find Killmonger in her vision. But as her cousin and a former king of Wakanda, it does make sense.
18. “He Killed His Own Brother”
Part of Killmonger’s talk with Shuri in the Ancestral Plane includes a mention of the fact that her father “killed his own brother.” That’s not just talk; flashbacks in Black Panther reveal that T’Chaka killed his brother (and Killmonger’s father) N’Jobu after discovering he had betrayed Wakanda and was preparing to steal vibranium in order to give it to oppressed people around the world. (Technically, T’Chaka didn’t want to kill his brother; he did so to save the life of his trusted advisor Zuri. But either way: He still did it.)
19. “Imperius Rex.”
When Namor and Shuri have their final confrontation on the beach, Namor whispers “Imperious Rex” at her. What does it mean? In Latin, the phrase roughly translates to “imperial king” which sort of makes sense when spoken to Shuri, who is at least of royal blood. The real reason he says it is the Namor of Marvel Comics has been using it as his catchphrase for decades; it’s his equivalent of Thing’s “It’s clobberin’ time!” or Captain America’s “Avengers assemble!” It’s just something he says.
20. “Show Him Who You Are.”
Ramonda’s spirit speaks to Shuri from the Ancestral Plane during that same fight, and she tells her daughter “Shuri, show him who you are.” In the first Black Panther, that is the same thing Ramdonda yelled to T’Challa during his battle with M’Baku for the throne of Wakanda.
