SPOILERS: BLACK PANTHER - 10 WTF Questions We Have After Watching The Movie
There's no questioning the fact that Black Panther is a great movie but Marvel Studios' latest still left us with a lot of unanswered and frustrating questions! Here are the ones still bugging us...
Black Panther has been rightly hailed as one of the greatest superhero movies of all-time but no matter how strong it was in terms of storytelling, it still left fans questioning a lot of key moments and querying some of the decisions made by its characters. We're now delving into those, touching on everything from the movie's biggest WTF questions to what comes next for T'Challa in the MCU.
Those range from frustrating, unanswered questions which we're now attempting to figure out the answers to and those which may have been deliberately left open-ended to address down the line.
To check out this list of questions - and the possible solutions to those - all you need to do is click on either one of the buttons below to view it in its entirety. Do you have any answers to these? What questions did Black Panther leave you asking? Share your thoughts down in the comments section.
Why Didn't Killmonger Just Kill Klaue From The Start?
Erik Killmonger clearly wanted something from Ulysses Klaue but by the time everything was said and done, he'd gunned him down and used his corpse as a way of getting into Wakanda. The question is, why bother robbing that museum and breaking him out of a C.I.A. facility if his plan was to always kill the villain? Killmonger could have saved a lot of time and hassle just taking him out from the start!
A possible explanation is that Killmonger wanted Klaue to show back up on Wakanda's radar so T'Challa's people could see he failed to bring him in but that feels like an overly convoluted plan.
Are The Jabari Really Vegetarians?
In one of Black Panther's funnier moments, M'Baku threatens to have his children eat Everett Ross. However, he then notes that the Jabari tribe are vegetarians so why is he decked out in fur and what's the deal with his people leaving the mountain to go fishing? (finding T'Challa in the process)
It is, of course, possible that he's decked out in synthetic fur or that the ape he took it from died of natural causes, while plenty of people who call themselves veggies tuck into fish now and again. Either way, this isn't really a massively frustrating question but it's definitely, ahem, food for thought.
Is Bucky The White Wolf Now?
In what initially appeared to be a throwaway line, Bucky is referred to as the "White Wolf" by some Wakandan kids bothering the former Winter Soldier. That's not a randomly chosen name either because there is a noteworthy character in the comic books who goes by the same title.
In those, a young white child who survived a plane crash over Wakanda was adopted by King T'Chaka and T'Challa's adoptive brother - who became the head of Wakanda’s secret police, the Hatut Zeraze - had some very complicated feelings towards his sibling. Does this mean that Bucky isn't going to become Captain America and will instead remain in Wakanda with a new moniker? It seems plausible!
What Was Killmonger's End Game?
We know that Killmonger wanted to arm black men and women across the world so they could take control and finally make amends for centuries worth of abuse and mistreatment but what exactly did he think was going to happen? Did he simply want to throw the world into chaos or was his plan to somehow lead them? It's hard to say but it definitely wasn't the most organised idea we've seen.
Also, who's to say that even the most disenfranchised would have got on board with Killmonger's plan? Perhaps he was just going to use his operatives to destabilise governments and go from there.
Where Does Wakanda Go From Here?
At the end of Black Panther, T'Challa finally outs Wakanda to the world and we're left to wait and see what comes next for the fictional African nation. If they're going to start sharing their technology with outsiders, does that mean the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to take on a more futuristic appearance? In other words, is Marvel Studios' Phase 4 going to start looking seriously sci-fi?
That would certainly bring the MCU more in line with the comic books but makes everything feel a lot less grounded. Chances are we'll mostly see Wakanda's tech used to help The Avengers in Iron Man's absence but the country taking on a much larger role in this world would be no bad thing.
Could Killmonger Return One Day?
In the comic books, Erik Killmonger has been resurrected and it is entirely possible it could happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. However, James Gunn has become a big proponent of dead meaning dead in this shared world (so you'd hope that Kevin Feige has taken note) and outside of Agent Coulson, we don't often see Marvel villains come back from the dead to plague heroes again.
It is, of course, a shame that Michael B. Jordan is one and done in the MCU but he made an impact and delivered one of the best villains we've seen in this shared world to date with Erik Killmonger.
Is The Soul Stone In Wakanda Or Not?
There's no mention of the Soul Stone in Black Panther and Vibranium is instead named as being responsible for everything from the heart-shaped herb to the fact that Wakanda is years ahead of the rest of the world. As a result, we're going into Avengers: Infinity War none the wiser about its location and it now remains to be seen whether or not it will later be revealed as being beneath the nation.
Could it be that it's hidden inside the Vibranium asteroid which hit Earth? If so, Thanos' forces attacking Wakanda makes even more sense but it's equally as likely that they're only there because T'Challa is harbouring The Vision (something LEGO sets for the movie have pointed to being the case).
Is T'Challa Now The Final Black Panther?
In the movie, Erik Killmonger burns the heart-shaped herbs and destroys the temple which housed them. So, does that mean they can never be regrown and are gone for good? We never find out the answer to that question but it would make sense, especially as it closes the door on T'Challa being miraculously healed down the line if he's ever mortally wounded by another formidable villain.
Unfortunately, this also means that Shuri won't ever be able to suit up as a new Black Panther and if she doesn't, it will be without any superpowers. Perhaps she can make up for that with technology!
Why Did They Leave Killmonger Behind?
Zuri would have known all about T'Chaka's brother having a son, so why did he leave him behind after the King of Wakanda killed his sibling for betraying their nation? Sure, they might have decided that he had a mother to look after him but leaving N'Jobu's body behind was a big enough insult as it was, never mind his child (and T'Chaka's nephew) as well. Ultimately, it may have boiled down to pride.
This isn't really a major issue, though, as if T'Chaka had taken the young Erik with him, the movie never would have happened and this can be explained away easily enough if you think about it.
Is T'Challa Going To Lead The West Coast Avengers?
At the end of Black Panther, T'Challa decides to open a series of outreach centres in Oakland, California. As a result, fans have been speculating over whether or not that could have a bearing on the future of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, specifically in regards to the formation of the West Coast Avengers.
After Avengers 4, it would definitely be a good idea to give the group a makeover of sorts and having T'Challa bankroll the team from an entirely new location might be a lot of fun to see. Even if they're not referred to as the West Coast Avengers, putting the heroes there would be a nice nod to the source material and ensures that Phase 4 (and the Avengers franchise) has a different feel to the first three.