SPOILERS: BLACK PANTHER - 10 Amazing Ways It Sets Up The Future Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Black Panther is the final Marvel movie before Avengers: Infinity War this May and we're now taking an in-depth look at the many ways it sets up what comes next for both T'Challa and the wider MCU!
Going into Black Panther, a lot of fans were concerned that the movie would be another Iron Man 2 in the respect that it would spend more time focusing on setting up the events of Avengers: Infinity War as opposed to being a satisfactory standalone story for T'Challa. Ryan Coogler found a perfect balance but there were definitely some huge hints about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We're not just talking about the next Avengers movie either as this movie did a lot to set the stage for what comes next for Black Panther too, not to mention the supporting character surrounding him.
What you'll find here then is an in-depth look at how Black Panther sets up the future of the MCU and why you should be excited about those. To check out the full list in its entirety, you just need to click on the button below and once you've done that, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
West Coast Avengers
At the end of the movie, T'Challa decides to open a series of outreach centres in Oakland, California, the one-time home of Erik Killmonger. With Marvel's Phase 4 looking very much like a changing of the guard, could it be that one of these will ultimately serve as a base of operations for the West Coast Avengers? Ant-Man and The Wasp are based on the West Coast too so this would make sense.
After all, it's unlikely that Robert Downey Jr. will be sticking around after Avengers 4 so the team is going to need someone new to bankroll them and Black Panther definitely fits the bill. A West Coast setting would also be a refreshing change of pace, shifting the focus off New York for a change.
Everett Ross In Captain Marvel
We didn't learn a whole lot about Everett Ross in Captain America: Civil War but Black Panther reveals that he was once an Air Force pilot. Martin Freeman has previously confirmed that he'll return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after this movie and that all points to Captain Marvel being a perfect fit.
Considering the fact that is going to be set in the 1990s, we'd probably meet a much younger version of Ross who works alongside Carol but Freeman's character could also be featured in the movie's present-day scenes as the hero attempts to reconnect with her past. We'll have to wait and see but that seems like a far more likely possibility than the already extremely crowded Avengers: Infinity War.
T'Challa, The Final Black Panther
The first thing that Erik Killmonger does when he's named the new King of Wakanda is destroy all of the African nation's heart-shaped herbs. T'Challa's mother, sister, and love interest Nakia all manage to retrieve at least one which is later used to heal Black Panther and give him back his superpowers.
Killmonger also burns down the place where the herbs grow so there's no way they'll ever return and that means T'Challa is now Wakanda's final Black Panther. It also means that if he's critically injured, there will be no way back for him, something which makes the hero a whole lot more mortal now.
That probably explains why Marvel chose to head down this route but what does that mean for Shuri?
A New Ally For T'Challa
At the start of the movie, it's made clear that M'Baku isn't a fan of Wakanda or T'Challa. However, when Black Panther proves that he's ready and willing to treat the mountain leader as an equal in a way his father never did, we soon learn that he's going to serve as an ally to the hero moving forward. That explains why we've seen him fighting alongside the hero in the Avengers: Infinity War trailer.
This also opens the door to some very interesting possibilities moving into future Black Panther movies because M'Baku could easily be outfitted with some very cool new weapons and armour courtesy of Shuri! We'll have to wait and see but this guy could become a key player in the MCU from here.
Wakanda Comes Out Of The Shadows
In Black Panther's mid-credits scene, T'Challa is shown addressing the United Nations and makes it clear that Wakanda is ready to share its many resources with the world. Some fans have slammed this sequence as being dull in the grand scheme of Marvel stingers but that's extremely short-sighted.
Bear in mind that Black Panther becoming a hero known to the entire world is a game changer, while Wakandan technology getting out there could change the entire landscape of this shared universe and see it take on a more advanced form which feels a little less grounded and a lot more comic book-y.
Zemo's Return
Black Panther picks up shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War and Zemo is briefly mentioned both in a news report and by Everett Ross when he reveals that the villain remains in custody. The fact he's very much alive has to be a sign that the door is open to him making a return and a future instalment in T'Challa's franchise makes perfect sense given the history between them now.
After all, Black Panther stopped Zemo from killing himself and while he seemed guilty about T'Chaka being caught up in his plot, he's clearly not all there and that guilt could very easily turn into rage!
There are a lot of bad guys the follow-up could use but Zemo would be a great fit, especially if that brings him closer in line to his comic book counterpart. For now, though, we'll have to wait and see.
The Soul Stone (Maybe)
Going into Black Panther, most of us assumed that we'd finally get to see the Soul Stone and that it might be what makes Wakanda such a special place. Instead, this movie confirmed that it's actually Vibranium which has transformed the African nation and there's no mention of the cosmic artefact.
It is, of course, possible that the Soul Stone was in the Vibranium comet which struck the Earth thousands of years ago but we'll have to wait and see when Thanos attacks in Avengers: Infinity War.
If the Soul Stone isn't somehow connected to Wakanda and those magical heart-shaped herbs, then we have to assume that fan theories about Heimdall holding that power are correct. There's no way of saying for sure but Black Panther goes at least some way in setting the stage for this Stone.
The Next Black Panther...
Concept art has surfaced of Shuri wearing one of the Black Panther suits and while there's no more heart-shaped herbs for her to take in order to gain superpowers, she could use technology to achieve that. Regardless, her suiting up is clearly an idea which Marvel Studios has considered before now.
The only problem with this is that T'Challa would need to be taken off the board somehow and it's too soon for that to happen given that we're only just now getting to know him. Instead, the signs could be pointing to Shuri taking on a different role in the MCU moving forward which is even more exciting.
...Or The New Iron Man?
If Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man really is going to be taken off the table as we move into Phase 4, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's heroes will need someone else to provide them with costumes and technology and that's where Shuri could come in! While I'm not suggesting that we'll see her suit up in armour, we could get a version of that which is a cross between her Pather identity and Riri Williams!
Either way, based on what we've seen of Captain America's new shield and Bucky upgraded arm in Infinity War, don't be at all surprised if Shuri becomes one of the MCU's key players moving forward.
Bucky Returns
In Black Panther's after-credits scene, Shuri meets up with a now fully cured Bucky who is free of his HYDRA programming and she refers to him as "White Wolf." Comic book fans will know that White Wolf is a character completely unrelated to the former Winter Soldier but this could very easily be a hint at what's to come as the hero adopts a new identity rather than becoming Captain America!
Either way, the stage is now set for Bucky to be a key player in Avengers: Infinity War when he reunites with Steve Rogers and Earth's Mightiest Heroes to do battle with Thanos' forces in Wakanda.
The question is, will he remain there or is he going to end up leading The Avengers at some point?
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