Black Panther established that, like his comic book counterpart, T'Challa had to consume a special Heart-Shaped Herb in order to become a superhero. In addition to a mystical connection with the Wakandan Panther Goddess, Bast, that granted him superhumanly acute senses and increased his strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, and agility to Olympian levels.
We briefly saw Bast appear in the form of a giant panther during an animated opening scene exploring Wakanda's history, but the Goddess made her live-action debut in Thor: Love and Thunder.
It was a blink and you'd miss it cameo, with actor Akosia Sabet suiting up as the character in Zeus' Omnipotence City. We'd like to think she was there for more than just an orgy, and can't help but wonder whether she'll appear in this November's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Regardless, we now have a closer look at the MCU's Bast courtesy of Luca Vannella, a Hair Stylist who worked on the Thor: Ragnarok sequel. The detail here is incredible, and it's a real shame this character was sidelined in preference of a Bao God and the other jokey characters who were highlighted in this sequence.
Marvel Studios will return to Hall H tomorrow evening for a panel looking ahead to its upcoming movies and TV shows, and we expect the first teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to be released shortly after. Perhaps Bast will return to Earth in order to grant the new Black Panther their powers after Erik Killmonger destroyed all those Heart-Shaped Herbs when he was briefly King?
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives on November 11.