The Best Easter Eggs We Found In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Spoilers for "Black Panther: Wakanda" Forever follow.
While it can be a somber and reverent experience due to the loss of franchise star Chadwick Boseman, the titular hero King T'Challa, and the process of moving forward without either of them, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" also maintains an element of joy. We're not just talking about the happiness that True Believers get when a new Marvel Studios movie debuts in theaters, either. Ryan Coogler's follow-up to his hit 2018 superhero movie is infused with the exuberance of a true celebration of culture and life. And though the things that bring us joy in the Phase Four finale are the characters like Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, Nakia, the people of Wakanda, and their resilience in the face of tragedy, the House of Ideas continues to spread tiny bits of happiness throughout their projects for eagle-eyed viewers with the help of well placed Easter eggs.
While this may not be a complete list of all the hidden gems that could be found in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, these are a few of the best ones that caught our eye while watching the movie. Whether they allude to the storied history of Marvel Comics, the ever-expanding multiverse of the MCU, or something else entirely, the hope is that these references bring you as much joy during your watch (or rewatch) as they did for us.
Midnight Angels
In an attempt to protect Wakanda's top warriors in battle, Letitia Wright's Shuri has been designing high-tech armor for the Dora Milaje. Early on in the movie, the princess shows her mother the designs, but also reveals that General Okoye thinks they look stupid. However, Dani Gurira's character changes her tune when they go to war with Namor and the kingdom of Tālocān. Along with another mighty warrior named Aneka, she dons the Midnight Angel armor and joins the fray at sea.
Adorned in shades of blue, the duo known as the Midnight Angels are pulled straight from the pages of Marvel Comics. They were created by Jonathan Maberry and Scot Eaton for 2010's "Doomwar" as an elite subsection of the Dora Milaje that also serves as King T'Challa's personal bodyguards. But rather than Okoye and Aneka wearing the winged stealth suits like in the movie, Aneka and Ayo make up the team in the comics. And though they are loyal to Wakanda, they leave the royal family and the ranks of the Dora at one point in favor of hunting down rogues that targeted Wakandan women. They even mix it up with Doctor Doom when he attempts to obtain vibranium for his latest scheme.
Now that a version of the Midnight Angels has been introduced in the MCU, there's no doubt that we'll be seeing them again, especially if the rumored Okoye series comes to fruition.
Imperius Rex
Who doesn't love a good battle cry? "Thundercats HO!" "Autobots, roll out!" "To infinity and beyond!" It's hard not to get pumped up when hearing those phrases. But when it comes to Namor (both the comic book version and the MCU variant played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía), he has his own trademark catchphrase that he always exclaims as he charges into a fight: "Imperius Rex!" During the climax of "Wakanda Forever," Namor faces off with the new Black Panther and basically gives everything he has in this skirmish. And just like Captain America can do this all day, the Tālocān royal is also ready for another round after he utters his signature line, despite facing certain defeat.
Interestingly enough, "Imperius Rex" doesn't actually mean anything. It loosely translates to "Emperor King" in Latin, but Namor has never really clarified its true meaning after all these years. Honestly, he probably just thinks that it sounds cool. However, in "Thor" #1 from Jason Aaron, Mike Del Mundo, Marco D'Alfonso, Christian Ward, and Joe Sabino, the God of Thunder asks in the middle of a scuffle with the Sub-Mariner what his battle cry really means. Namor replies, "It means I'm going to feed your sorry Asgardian hide to the biggest sharks I can find!" So there you have it. Mystery solved.
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Just like how Agent Phil Coulson popped up in various Marvel Studios projects during Phase One, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been all over Phase Four. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' mysterious character first appeared in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" on Disney+ as she recruited disgraced soldier John Walker to her cause and dubbed him U.S. Agent. Then, she meets Yelena Belova at her sister's grave in order to give the new Black Widow her next mission, which unfolds in "Hawkeye."
In each of those appearances, we don't learn anything about this Nick Fury-esque figure other than the fact that she is a part of an organization with interests in superhumans. However, thanks to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," we now know that this organization is the CIA. Furthermore, True Believers find out in this movie that Val is actually a high-ranking official in the intelligence agency. This detail should make things interesting as we progress towards the upcoming Phase Five film "Thunderbolts," which features a team that is traditionally made up of former Marvel Comics villains.
The other thing that we learn about de Fontaine in her latest MCU appearance is that she was once married to Martin Freeman's Everett Ross, but they have since divorced and continue to work together at the CIA. This arrangement appears to be going smoothly for the former husband and wife ... Until the events of this movie play out, that is.
W'Kabi
Back in the summer of 2022, we learned that Daniel Kaluuya would not be joining the cast of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" due to scheduling conflicts with Jordan Peele's "Nope." Although, the award-winning actor is still staying in the House of Ideas as he has recently signed on to voice Hobart "Hobie" Brown A.K.A. Spider-Punk in the highly anticipated animated sequel "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." But that doesn't mean that his "Black Panther" character has been forgotten.
In the MCU, Kaluuya plays W'Kabi, the former head of security for Wakanda's Border Tribe who sided with Killmonger when he ascended to the thrown. He is also Okoye's husband and one of T'Challa's closest friends, so that betrayal hit even harder. While he doesn't physically appear in the new movie, Queen Ramonda mentions him in a scene with Okoye and reveals that W'Kabi is currently being held prisoner in a Wakandan jail to atone for his actions. While it's possible that we could see him again in the future, it seems unlikely since treason carries a hefty sentence, and Kaluuya's schedule is quickly filling up with exciting projects.
Scott Lang
Easter eggs are often small details that result in a large reaction if you're in the know. And since that's very much in Ant-Man's wheelhouse to pack a big punch with a small package, it's fitting that Scott Lang is our final Easter egg from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." The size-shifting Avenger is mentioned in the news ticker shown onscreen during one of Anderson Cooper's broadcasts in the film. This tidbit on the ticker shared that the hero played by Paul Rudd is currently touring to promote his memoir titled "Look Out For The Little Guy."
Without a doubt, his appearance on "This Powered Life" was a part of this promotional tour. As we learned in "Ms. Marvel," the episode of that podcast titled "Big Me Little Me: A Scott Lang Interview" was how Kamala Khan and much of the MCU discovered all the details from the epic battle between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Thanos' nefarious forces from "Avengers: Endgame." Hopefully the tour continues in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" so we can find out how exactly Ant-Man ended up in the Broadway (Hulk) smash hit "Rogers: The Musical" despite not actually being present for the Battle of New York.