Episode 2 of What If...? resonated with viewers for several reasons. Obviously, the voice performance by the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa Star-Lord is unparalleled, with fans able to experience him as the titular Black Panther one last time.
Still, Boseman wasn't the only actor to play Black Panther in the cast of What If... T'Challa Became A Star-Lord? - and no, we're not referring to John Kani, whose version of T'Chaka was technically the Black Panther at one point in the MCU.
The thespian reprised his role to deliver the gravitas his monologue needed, cementing the emotional punch of this line, however: "T'challa, if you are out there, you're one bright burning light in a night sky of billions, and we will search every last one of them until we find you - on this plane or the next."
The meta-levels of that line are incredible when considering Boseman's passing, and taking his place on the Ancestral Plane. However, there are also meta-levels to the intense fanboying Korath delivers when he meets this version of Star-Lord for the first time, as T'challa is his hero.
In itself, that is wonderful enough as it gives Korath the Pursuer a more amicable personality than two live-action films did. Still, another reason behind the change may lie under the surface.
The actor who voiced Korath and played him in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel is Djimon Hounsou, who previously voiced T'challa in the BET Black Panther mini-series in 2010, less than a decade before Boseman took the reigns - or in this case, the claws.
As you can see in the image above, a lesser-known Black Panther animated motion-comic series aired on BET in 2010 under the Marvel Knights Animation banner.
While Hounsou was already in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and had no chance to experience Wakanda, this is a wonderfully poetic way to bring these two actors together. With Korath praising T'Challa and joining his crew, he ultimately winds up back in Wakanda, speaking with Shuri.
With the last performance from Chadwick Boseman being important and emotional, the meta easter egg between these two T'Challas seems to have gone unnoticed for the most part. So, we wrote it up over on Toonado and thought we'd share it with you guys here as well. Seeing them together in the image below as both Panthers stand side by side, returning home to Wakanda for the first time in years, together, is a great treat for fans.
Did you notice the Black Panther Easter egg in this episode? What do you think about the meta-levels to the relationship between Korath and T'challa in What If...?
Be sure you share them in the comments!
Enter the multiverse of unlimited possibilities. Marvel Studios' first animated series, What If...?, starts streaming August 11 with new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+. “What If… ?” features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist.
Marvel Studios' What If...? premieres new episodes each Wednesday, only on Disney+.