Black Panther Binge List

This blog post is a little difficult to write, compared to other binge lists I’ve done. With the passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, we never got closure for this character. And though it’s a sequel to Black Panther, we have no idea where Wakanda Forever will go. I’m just glad they decided not to recast T’Challa and they seem to be doing this movie in honor of Chadwick. Now, before the movie comes out, let’s review our knowledge of Wakanda so far.

Captain America: Civil War (2 hours 28 min)

Our first exposure to Wakanda (unless you count the mention in Age of Ultron) was the introduction of King T’Chaka and his son T’Challa. After the king was killed in Austria, T’Challa donned the Black Panther costume to catch his supposed killer. Joining Team Iron Man to catch Bucky, T’Challa followed Cap and Bucky to Siberia when he and his teammates failed to apprehend the Winter Soldier. I’d say his first true moment as a hero was capturing Zemo and sparing his life.

Black Panther (2 hours 15 min)

Only a few weeks after Civil War, T’Challa was officially made King of Wakanda. Didn’t take long for trouble to show up in the form of Erik Stevens (AKA Killmonger). He thwarted the Wakandans capture of Klaue (who he killed) and he threw T’Challa off the throne… to take revenge on the outside world. I have no right to speak on issues of race, as a white male, but I respect King T’Challa so much for rising above the oppression that his ancestors faced. In the end, the moral high ground won and T’Challa took the throne again.

Avengers: Infinity War (2 hours 29 min)

In an attempt to save Vision and protect the Mind Stone, the Avengers came to the newly opened-to-the-world Wakanda. While Shuri tried to science the Mind Stone out of Vision, Black Panther, Captain America, and Black Widow led an army (mostly Wakandans) to hold off Thanos’s forces. With the help of Bucky, Thor, Groot, Rocket, and Wanda, they almost succeed. Until Thanos enters the game… with Vision’s Mind Stone in hand, SNAP! T’Challa and fifty percent of life dusted out of existence.

Avengers: Endgame (3 hours 2 min)

After the remaining Avengers collect a set of Infinity Stones from the past and bring everyone back, Black Panther and his Wakandan allies are among the large army to face off with Thanos in the final battle. Tony sacrifices himself to win and we’re led to believe they all lived happily ever after into Phase Four. We even got a shot of T’Challa with his family in Wakanda after the battle. Unfortunately, with the passing of Chadwick Boseman, we know happily ever after didn’t work out for the Wakandan royal family.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Episodes 3-5)

We don’t know when Wakanda Forever will take place in relation to Falcon and the Winter Soldier. So the appearance of the Dora Milaje in Latvia could be before or after the new movie. Regardless, check out these episodes if you want to see Ayo and her squad track down Zemo and fight against Bucky and Sam. Or not. You’d probably be okay either way.

It’ll be interesting how they choose to send off T’Challa with this movie. We may have already seen (heard) the last of Chadwick Boseman in What If, but I’m hoping that Wakanda Forever will give a satisfying ending to our prime timeline Black Panther. If you want to check out T'Challa's appearances in What If, you'll want episodes two and nine for Star-Lord T'Challa. Other versions of the Wakandan prince can be seen in episodes five and six. For now...