Don't Expect ‘Eyes of Wakanda' to Just Be a ‘Black Panther' Show
Later this summer, Marvel Studios is diving deep into the history of Wakanda, but not necessarily the history you are thinking of. Eyes of Wakanda premieres on Disney+ this August, and it's an animated tale told across generations of the great, fictional African nation. A nation that many casual Marvel fans just know based on its protector, Black Panther. And yet, while the history and legend of the Black Panther will be part of the show, it's not the main drive.
'We have characters that are very important in the show, but it also examines what kind of person Wakanda makes,' showrunner Todd Harris told Entertainment Weekly. 'A 10,000-year-old society. What kind of fortitude, what kind of lack of temptation to over-expand? All these different things to keep things from imploding, all these different things that have been the detriment to a lot of history… how did they avoid that and what kind of person does that make? What kind of rock-solid principles keep them on the straight and narrow that balance that's so hard for everyone alive?'
That'll happen by exploring different stories, characters, and time periods across the history of Wakanda. Harris describes the show as 'anthology adjacent.'
'I really liked the idea of everyone's view of history,' Harris said. 'The story starts off during the end of the Western Bronze Age, and that spark sets off this giant spy-espionage story that reverberates through time…. You get Wakanda-grade James Bond, and sometimes a Jane Bond, with the backdrop of all the awesomeness that is Wakanda.'
In the interview, Harris keeps most plot points secret, but does reveal that the show centers on Wakanda's Hatut Zaraze, aka the Dogs of War, who traverse the world attempting to recover Vibranium artifacts that have somehow been taken from the country. 'When an inciting incident releases some of these things into the wild, they've got to, in a very hush-hush kind of way, make sure that these things don't turn into a bigger problem,' Harris says. 'We saw what happened when one disc got into the hands of one Super Soldier—it changed the course of the world.' Referring, of course, to Captain America and his shield.
However, while the show will work mostly to showcase Wakanda in this new, exciting way, Harris does admit there are Marvel secrets to be discovered for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 'There are a couple of surprises,' Harris said. 'Because part of the opportunity here is to sprinkle little pieces of history and go, 'I didn't know that happened.' Part of it is holding a mirror up to some historical theories and some historical facts and some historical preconceived notions.'
There's much more from Eyes of Wakanda, including a few images, over at Entertainment Weekly. Head there to read even more and check out the show on Disney+ in August.
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