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| Black Panther (2018) Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Okoye (Danai Gurira) |
Here’s everything you missed in “Black Panther“.
The “Black Panther” movie is breaking all kinds of box office records and has been seen by millions of people.
But only true fans would recognize all the little references and cameos in the film. All Marvel movies have them and Black Panther movie is chock full of Easter Eggs
So, if you’re seeing it for the second time, here are a bunch of things to look for in the movie.
Warning: SPOILERS FOR BLACK PANTHER
1. 1401
In the flashback, Erik Killmonger’s father N’Jobu (Sterling K. Brown) is in apartment 1401. It’s also a number that has great significance to Marvel Comics.
From the late 1940s through most of the 1950s, comic book publisher Timely Publications (as Marvel was then called) was headquartered in Empire State Building.
The suite number? 1401.
2. The Great Mound
In the opening of Black Panther T’Challa’s father tells him the story of how Vibranium came to Wakanda. T’Chaka tells him that millions of years ago a meteorite made of Vibranium crash-landed in Africa and formed a huge mountain.
The mine built on top of the Vibranium is known as “The Great Mound”. This story was first told in In Black Panther #7 (1978).
While most of the world thinks that Vibranium is extremely rare this is just a ruse by the Wakandans. The mine was supposed to show up in Captain America: Civil War but the scene was cut.
3. Bashegna
In 1978 Jack Kirby showed a flashback to the first man to take on the Black Panther mantle named Beshegna in Black Panther #7 (1978). It was said that it was during this time that The Great Mound has closed off. He also formed a group that would guard it against intruders.
In the flashback, an unnamed “warrior shaman” is credited with uniting the four tribes and becoming the first Black Panther. That is Bashegna.
4. Oakland
The opening scene takes place in Oakland, California which has a special connection for the director. Ryan Coogler grew up in Oakland and where his co-writer, Joe Robert Cole, went to college. The 1992 flashback was actually the first scene written by Coogler as a “test of what this movie could be”.
He wanted to take a stereotype of young black men in America and marry it with Africa. “The interesting part about being black is until you open up your mouth, people don’t know where you’re from,” Coogler told io9. “I thought it would be cool if you start on the scene in Oakland. You have these two black dudes, they talk and [you go] ‘Oh, it’s two black dudes from Oakland.’ And then at some point, the guy switches and starts talking with the African accent. ‘Oh s—, wait, this dude’s from Africa?’ You realize, ‘Oh yeah, I can’t tell the difference. He [looks like] the same people you know.'”
5. The Black Panther Party
Since the 1960s people assumed the comic book Black Panther was based on the African American revolutionary group “The Black Panther Party”. After all, they came out in the same year.
Stan Lee already confirmed it’s not true but the movie makes a nice reference to it. The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Specifically West Oakland (officially “Western Oakland,” a district of the city of Oakland).
Setting part of the film there is a brilliant maneuver.
6. Public Enemy
N’Jobu and James’ apartment has a poster for the influential “gangsta rap” group “Public Enemy” and their album “Fear of a Black Planet” on the wall. Legendary comic writer Reginald Hudlin told MTV that his influential run of Black Panther comics was intended to write the “Public Enemy version” of Black Panther.
The group’s third album “Fear of a Black Planet” came out in 1990. Two years before the movie’s flashback of 1992. This fits in with Erik Killmonger’s dream to use Wakanda to take over the planet.
While many see Public Enemy as a divisive group Chuck D told USA Today that the group “is really about real truth and justice for all people”.
Update: Apparently there are other Public Enemy posters in the movie as well. Chuck D confirms this in an interview. “To see it in the movie twice, it was prideful, yes,” he admits. “It felt good. I knew it was going to happen but to see it happen was definitely prideful. A lot of people didn’t see the first one.” The second poster is for the group’s 1988 album “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.”
7. Grace Jones
When there’s a knock at the door James looks through the peephole. He turns and says, “There’s two Grace Jones looking chicks outside.” For those who didn’t grow up in the 80s, Grace Jones is a Jamaican-born model, singer, and actress. She became a New Wave icon with her shaved head.
Grace Jones also played the powerful black warrior Zula in 1984’s Conan the Barbarian. She’s one of the first black female action movie stars.
8. What Are Those?!
In one scene Shuri makes fun of T’Challa’s sandals exclaiming “what are those?!”
This is the exact line from a popular meme on Instagram back in 2015. Brandon Moore (a.k.a. Young Busco) points to a police officer’s shoes and says, “Officer I just got one question for you. What are thoooooose?!”
Hilarious.
9. Nike Power Shoes
After mocking T’Challa’s sandals she gives him a new set of Vibranium shoes. They look a lot like basketball shoe insoles. But, when T’Challa stepped on them they transform to fit his foot. Shuri says she modeled the design after the shoes in “that ’80s movie father used to watch all the time.”
That movie, of course, is Back to the Future Part II where Marty McFly wears a set of self-tying Nike shoes. She offers to give him new shoes for “sneaking”.
10. Hoverboards
Yet another Back to the Future reference shows up while Shuri is talking to Ross. She says piloting the Wakandan ship is just like riding a hoverbike. Ross exclaims “you have hoverbikes”?
This is a nod to the hoverboards in Back to the Future Part II. Marty raced around on the fictional levitating toys in the futuristic Hill Valley of 2015. Apparently, Wakanda made them before that.
11. Namor
Namor hasn’t shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet but his presence is being felt.
In one scene Black Panther has Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) cornered in South Korea. Klaue begs for mercy. T’Challa replies “Every breath you take is mercy from me”. That’s the exact line he says to Namor in New Avengers #22 (2014) by Jonathan Hickman and Kev Walker.
Namor had the power of the Dark Phoenix and used to wreak havoc on the world. In the process, he flooded Wakanda with a huge title wave and T’Challa swore revenge. But it was the detonation of the Illuminati bomb that almost led Black Panther to kill Namor.
Before the climactic battle, he says “You are owed nothing. Other men do not make choices for me, Namor. Every breath you take is mercy from me.”
12. Killmonger Mask
In the Museum of Great Britain Killmonger and Klaue come across a mask. Killmonger says he wants to keep it because he’s “feelin’ it”.
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| Black Panther (2018) Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) |
In the comics, Erik Killmonger went shirtless, but occasionally he did wear armor and a mask.
For example in Black Panther #37 (2008) by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer he wears a mask very similar to the movie version.
13. Gold Costume
One “easter egg” that’s always fun for comic fans is an alternate costume. Like Wolverine’s yellow costume or Captain America’s WWII helmet. Black Panther turns this idea on its ear.
In the opening we see a young King T’Chaka wearing a Black Panther suit with gold accents. Later, Shuri offers her brother T’Challa a suit that comes out of a gold necklace similar to his.
The gold accented version of the Black Panther costume first appeared in the 90’s with Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther.
14. Preyy
Later Erik Killmonger wears the gold suit as his own. It has a distinctive yellow leopard pattern and some have nicknamed the suit “Golden Jaguar”. But really it looks more like a leopard.
In Jungle Action #6 (1973) Killmonger has a trained leopard called Preyy. The head of the suit looks just like his leopard.
15. Rhino Wrestling
Near the end of the film an army attacks with a herd of trained rhinos. T’Challa grabs one of the rhinos by the horn and wrestles it to the ground.
The scene comes straight out of Jungle Action #9 (1988) where Black Panther is forced to wrestle a rhino. It was really a powerful scene, but thankfully PETA said no real rhinos were harmed in the making of the picture.
16. Waterfall Death
Warrior Falls are a set of waterfalls where the King of Wakanda and the heir to the Black Panther is traditionally coronated. It’s where the head of any tribe can challenge the king. It also happened to be the place that Erik Killmonger seemingly killed T’Challa.
The same thing happens in Jungle Action #6 (1972) when Erik Killmonger lifts over his head him and throw him into the falls.
17. Baron Zemo
If you’re not familiar with Captain America: Civil War you might not recognize Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo. He played a major role in the movie and has a small cameo in this one. T’Challa is watching a news report about his father’s death and it shows an image of Zemo.
The clip establishes that the movie takes place a few days after the end of Civil War.
18. Bucky
Some people stay for the after-credits scene and some don’t. Half the people in the theater I went to left before the after-credits scene. So they missed the return of the Winter Soldier aka “Bucky” Barnes played by Sebastian Stan. He’s an old friend of Captain America who gets brainwashed by the Russians to become a master assassin with a mechanical arm.
The last time we saw him was in Captain America: Civil War when he was taken to Wakanda and put on ice because someone can turn him into an unstoppable killing machine by saying a few magic words.
In the comic Avengers: Infinity War Prelude #1 it’s revealed that Shuri figured out how to undo the programming while leaving his skills intact.
The Winter Soldier is ready to comply.
19. White Wolf
At the end of the movie Bucky comes out and a number of children call him “The White Wolf”. There’s a comic book character known as White Wolf but it’s not Bucky. It is a white boy though.
The White Wolf was first introduced in Black Panther #4 (1999). After Hunter’s plane crashes he’s adopted by King T’Chaka making him T’Challa’s adopted brother. He’s white, but has a love for Wakanda. Black Panther puts him in charge of Wakanda’s secret police. But his jealousy leads him to betray T’Challa.
Will Bucky become the new White Wolf? It’s hard to say, but it would be exciting. We know Black Panther and Bucky have thrown down before.
20. Stan Lee
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| Stan Lee and Chadwick Boseman
Source: Twitter |
Comic creator Stan Lee co-created numerous superheroes including Spider-Man and Black Panther. As an inside joke, he’s appeared regularly in movies and tv shows featuring Marvel characters. he usually plays a minor character in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. He’s played everything from a mailman to a Hugh Hefner look-alike. This movie is no exception.
In the South Korean casino where Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, and Danai Gurira’s Okoye are undercover. T’Challa wins chips but has to leave the table. Lee plays the old man who offers to help “look after” the huge stack of winnings.
21. Atandwa Kani
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| Black Panther (Atandwa Kani) Source: Instagram |
In the opening flashback, we see Black Panther visiting the two men and he takes off his helmet to reveal a much younger man.
He bears a striking resemblance to the actor John Kani who plays T’Chaka. That’s because he’s actually the son of the Tony award-winning actor.
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| John Kani, Michael B. Jordan and Atandwa Kani Source: Instagram |
22. Moonlight
In the end-credits scene (which you may not have stuck around for), T’Challa interrupts a game of basketball in Oakland, California. Most of the kids run to look at the futuristic aircraft but one boy stays to ask who he is. It seems like a bit part but it’s not.
Director Ryan Coogler is a big fan of Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning film Moonlight. So he cast one of the stars Alex R. Hibbert, who played Little, in his film.
23. Cannibals
From the earliest depictions of Africa, the people have been portrayed as bloodthirsty savages. One of the most popular tropes was that Africans ate human flesh. In a scene in Black Panther M’Baku yells at Ross to shut up or he’ll feed him to his children. Then he laughs and says, “Just kidding. We are vegetarians.” It turns the stereotype on its ear.
Winston Duke acknowledged the seeming contradiction of a big burly black man that doesn’t eat meat. But that’s the point. “He knows they think that he is just this big, intimidating guy, but at the same time he’s vegetarian,” Duke told Den of Geek. It makes sense since most gorillas are herbivores, but Western lowland gorillas eat ants and termites.
One seeming contradiction is that M’Baku says T’Challa was found by one of their fishermen. If they eat fish doesn’t that mean they’re not vegetarians? No. There are different types of vegetarians. One type called pescatarian eats seafood but not other types of meat. So they eat fish and shellfish in addition to plants and fruits.
It makes sense because there aren’t a lot of plants growing in the snowy mountains of Wakanda. They’d get malnourished otherwise.
24. Rachel Star Withers
Sometimes an actor is in such a small role that you don’t even think about them. One person in a seemingly small role is Rachel Star Withers. She’s a stunt performer on shows like American Ninja Warrior and Ridiculousness. She also has a small role in Black Panther as a CIA agent.
What makes her cool is she’s one of a handful of actors with multiple roles in the MCU. She also has a small role in another Marvel Studios film. She plays a park ranger in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
25. Kent Wagner
Another actor who’s appeared in multiple Marvel projects is Kent Wagner. He plays a UN press reporter but he’s been in a few Marvel projects. Why haven’t you heard of him? Because he usually plays a creature in heavy prosthetics.
He plays the Sneeper Ravager/Alien in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. He also plays a zombie on The Walking Dead and a mutant in the FOX Marvel series The Gifted. He really is gifted.
26. Floyd Anthony Jones Jr
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| Black Panther (2018) – Flloyd Anthony Jr. Source: Instagram |
One of the Jabari warriors may look familiar. Floyd Anthony Johns Jr. is a stunt performer who’s played in a bunch of movies and TV shows including Spider-Man: Homecoming and Luke Cage.
He plays one of M’Baku’s warriors in Black Panther. But this isn’t just a one-shot deal. He’s also going to appear in Avengers: Infinity War and the untitled sequel along with M’Baku.
27. Klaw’s Sonic Cannon
Ulysses Klaue is very different from the supervillain Klaw in the comics. In Fantastic Four #56 (Nov 1966) he was transformed into a creature of pure sound energy. On his right hand is a sonic emitter that can generate sound and create objects and creatures out of sound.
In the movies Klaue has his hand cut off by Ultron and comes back with a prosthetic hand. Underneath is a sonic Wakandan mining tool. It’s kind of the same thing.
28. M’Baku’s Gorilla Mask
There’s a supervillain named Man-Ape in the movie and you probably didn’t know. In the comics, one of Black Panther’s oldest foes is M’Baku aka Man-Ape. He first appears in Avengers #62 (1969). He’s the leader of the forbidden White Gorilla cult.
M’Baku got a major costume redesign for Black Panther. In the comics, he runs around in a 70s gorilla suit with a gorilla head on. In the movie, Winston Duke wears a wooden armor costume with fur accents. But there’s one moment that gives a nod to the comic costume.
When M’Baku goes to challenge T’Challa he puts on a ceremonial mask that looks like a gorilla head.
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| Black Panther (2018) M’Baku (Winston Duke), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) |
“Having a black character dress up as an ape, I think there’s a lot of racial implications that don’t sit well if done wrong,” executive producer Nate Moore told Entertainment Weekly. “But the idea that they worship the gorilla gods is interesting because it’s a movie about the Black Panther who, himself, is a sort of deity in his own right.”
29. Denzel Whitaker
Near the end of the movie, it’s revealed that Zuri, played by Forest Whitaker, was the one who turned Erik Killmonger’s father in for betraying Wakanda. The actor playing James / Young Zuri is Denzel Whitaker.
Now you may be thinking he’s his son like with young T’Chaka. But it’s just a huge coincidence. There is one connection though. Denzel plays alongside Forest in the 2007 film The Great Debaters.
30. Sanctorum
When Killmonger is sending weapons to start his war against the world he orders the first set of Wakandan weapons to New York, London, and Hong Kong. These are the same cities that Doctor Strange identified as locations for the Sanctum Sanctorums.
Is there a connection? We’ll have to wait and see but it’s a huge coincidence.
31. Hulk
In the interrogation scene, there’s a screen in the background with an image of a man. That man is Bruce Banner aka the Hulk.
It’s a small picture but you can even make out his shirt
It makes sense that the CIA would have him on a watch list. He disappeared after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron and they’re probably looking for him.
32. Disney World
When Shuri and T’Challa go to Oakland she’s disappointed. “When you said you were taking me to California, I thought you meant Coachella. Or Disney World,” she says.
But she’s wrong. Disney World is in Orlando, Florida and opened in 1971. So she’s in the wrong end of the country.
Disneyland is in Anaheim, California and was opened on July 17, 1955. The resort is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Disney owns Marvel.
Nice plug guys.
33. Building Bridges
In the after-credits scene at the U.N. T’Challa says “In these times wise men build bridges… but fools build barriers.”
While many consider this a reference to Donald Trump’s call to build a wall on the Southern border of the United States it has a deeper meaning.
Director Ryan Coogler was asked in an interview with Chris Van Vliet if this was a specific reference to Trump.
“We wrote this script two years ago,” Coogler said. “So any kind of parallels that people might want to draw on anything specific is, you know, I think are mostly coincidental. You know what I would say is that I can’t take credit for that line. Joe can’t take credit for the line. It’s an African proverb that’s existed for a long time. So much so that you can’t really tell which tribe it’s attributed to.
“You know. But it’s a very African concept. Because the continent is a place with several different tribes and people that live amongst each other and have their own cultural differences and speak different languages. And we found that quote interesting considering what T’Challa had just gone through.”
The proverb is most commonly quoted as “In the moment of crisis the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.”
34. Hanuman
When T’Challa accepts M’Baku’s challenge on Warrior Falls the Jabari leader says, “Glory to Hanuman.” Unlike the rest of Wakanga who worship the panther god Bast, the Jabari Mountain Tribe worship the gorilla god Hanuman.
This is actually a departure from the comics. In the comics M’Baku and his cult worship the white gorilla god Ghekre. Historically, Hanuman is a Hindu hero and demi-god, depicted as a humanoid ape. The followers of the White Gorilla cult ritualistically eat the flesh and bathe in the blood of the endangered White Gorilla to gain strength.
The reason for changing the name of the Jabari god isn’t known, but it reportedly led the Central Board of Film Certification in India to censor the Hindu god’s name from the film.
From Moonlight to Man-Ape now you know all the little things to look for in the film. Wakanda Forever!
ABOUT BLACK PANTHER (2018)
Official Synopsis: “After the events of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakanadan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.”
Black Panther (2018) stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, John Kani as T’Chaka, Winston Duke as M’Baku / Man Ape, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, Isaach de Bankolé, Nabiyah Be as Tilda Johnson, Sydelle Noel as Xoliswa, and Atandwa Kani.
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Screenplay by Joe Robert Cole and Ryan Coogler
Music by Ludwig Göransson
Cinematography by Rachel Morrison
Production design by Hannah Beachler
Black Panther (2018) was released February 16, 2018 (United States)
Author – Maurice Mitchell
Part-time IT guy and full-time nerd.
Follow me on Twitter @mauricem1972
Which did you miss in Black Panther? Is there anything else we missed?
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