Eyes Of Wakanda's New Marvel Villain Is Voiced By A Former DC Hero

This post contains spoilers for "Eyes of Wakanda."

The next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has arrived with "Eyes of Wakanda," an animated four-episode series that takes us through the history of one of the MCU's most mysterious locations. Besides giving us a cool-looking new Iron Fist, the show also provides insight into a key part of Wakanda's history, including a forgotten foe whose goals are similar to those of one of Marvel's best bad guys, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens (Michael B. Jordan). On top of that, superhero fans may notice this particular villain, The Lion, sounds surprisingly similar to the former principal of Garfield High School in DC and CW's Arrowverse.

A revolutionary, The Lion is presented as the main antagonist and a traitor to the once-hidden titular country in "Eyes of Wakanda." Indeed, the first episode centers on Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow), a former member of the Dora Milaje who hopes that by targeting and eliminating The Lion, she will be allowed to rejoin the order. A clever and mysterious character, The Lion himself is voiced by none other than Cress Williams, who spent years protecting the city of Freeland in the Arrowverse series "Black Lightning."

Making his debut in 2018, Williams starred as the show's namesake, aka Jefferson Pierce, and quickly made an impact. Eventually, the actor's costumed do-gooder got to share the screen with other Arrowverse heroes like Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Wally West (Grant Gustin), starting in the crossover TV event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (which kicked off in 2019). After that, lightning struck for the last time in 2021 when "Black Lightning" wrapped up its fourth and final season, with the Arrowverse following suit in 2023. 

That said, what's intriguing about Williams' role here is that, while he's labeled a villain, The Lion's goals and motives seem to predate another revolutionary figure who plays a vital role in "Eyes of Wakanda" ... without even realizing it, that is.

While the first episode of "Eyes of Wakanda" takes place thousands of years before the forgotten Wakandan Killmonger returned home to cause chaos in "Black Panther," it reveals that someone accomplished parts of his goal long, long before he ever came along. As Williams' The Lion explains to Noni, all those who follow him do so by choice. Not only that, but The Lion's acolytes are also provided with freedoms and access to Wakanda technological advances that his home country wouldn't have otherwise offered to them. It makes Williams' character a compelling antagonist in the short time he appears on the show, with the actor brilliantly bringing the same level of stoicism and gravitas to his role that he did as Jefferson Pierce across all four seasons of "Black Lightning."

More than that, The Lion proves that for as long as Wakanda tried to keep itself removed and isolated from the rest of the world, it was inevitable the country would ultimately step into the light and form connections with others. That also makes it all the more significant when the show's final episode reveals the artifact Killmonger admired in the Museum of Great Britain in "Black Panther" was the last stolen item the Wakandan warriors known as War Dogs were meant to recover. This, in turn, transforms the ornate hammer into a figurative torch passed through the ages from one Wakandan revolutionary to another, making Williams' Lion the perfect antagonist for the story being told here.

"Eyes of Wakanda" is now streaming on Disney+.