Between San Diego Comic-Con 2022 and D23 Expo 2022 alone, Marvel Studios has revealed a lot in the last year about what is in store when it comes to upcoming MCU Disney+ programming. Fans got big updates about Iron Heart, Secret Invasion, and more, and we learned about new series in development like Daredevil: Born Again. Amidst all of that news, however, one project we haven’t heard much of anything about is the untitled show set in Wakanda.
The series was first announced as being in the works back in February 2021, with writer/director Ryan Coogler on board as a producer (part of a five-year deal that his company, Proximity, has forged with Disney). Given that news was announced before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever went into production, it’s admittedly understandable that we haven’t heard much about the project, as attention and resources were surely all diverted to the blockbuster. Now that the film is done and out, however, it’s definitely a series that Marvel should view as a priority. This is not only because there is clearly a hunger for stories that take place in the world of the Black Panther (as evidenced by the box office results), but because a show would mitigate what stands out as an underwhelming aspect of the movie: a lack of Wakandan exploration.
Back in 2018, Ryan Coogler first got the opportunity to introduce a brand new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe secretly nestled in Africa, and he successfully blew audiences’ minds with marvels like Warrior Falls, the Wakandan throne room, and Jabari Land high in the mountains. Coogler and the crew of Black Panther created a remarkable, immersive world with a rich, independent culture and history, and it only left audiences with the desire to see more of it.
Despite that created and existing desire, however, expanding the scope of Wakanda evidently wasn’t made a priority in the making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It certainly can’t be said that the 2022 movie doesn’t feature any new settings within the boundaries of the titular country, but the majority of focus is put on areas with which we are already familiar – including all of those mentioned in the previous paragraph. On the one hand, you can’t really fault the blockbuster for having characters exist in what has been established as their spaces (Ramonda on the throne, Shuri in the lab, etc.), but it does have the effect of making the world feel smaller.
When the film does move out of those spaces, it’s usually to move out of Wakanda entirely – a side effect of the sequel notably introducing yet another whole new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the underwater nation of Talocan. Just as they did with the fresh setting of Black Panther, Ryan Coogler and the movie’s crew do a brilliant job making the fantastical realm ruled over by King Kukulkan (a.k.a. Namor) feel lived-in and tangible, and the film is better for it… but the sacrifice is not using the narrative real estate to dive deeper into Wakanda.
And this is all without mentioning the visits to Boston, Haiti, the Yucatan Peninsula, and more.
Peering into the future, it additionally feels wholly reasonable to expect that we will see at least a somewhat similar direction taken with the inevitable Black Panther 3. After all, being able to explore the complexities of international politics is a fascinating and unique aspect of the titular character’s position in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and those kinds of external conflicts will naturally take focus away from Wakanda. Fortunately, fans won’t feel like they are missing out on anything if a Disney+ series exists that is wholly set within the borders of the country and develops plots that takes the principal characters (whoever they may end up being) to places we haven’t seen on the big screen.
The creative potential is remarkable. Thanks to the Black Panther movies, we’ve seen how Wakanda’s Vibranium resources are used for vehicles, weapons, communication and more, but it’s easy to imagine that everyday life in the country is very due to their advanced technologies, and while that’s material that is challenging to depict in a blockbuster, it’s perfect for an on-going series. Clearly Marvel understands the awesome possibilities here, given that the series is already in development, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever further illustrates why it’s a fantastic idea, and hopefully it will become a priority that we start to hear a lot more about in the coming months.
