Marvel movies are steeped in lore, both their own internal lore and that borrowed from the comics. So it is that you may come out of their movies wondering whether you missed something, or didn’t get a reference you were supposed to. Black Panther is no different. As ever, we’re here to try and answer any questions you might have. When does this movie take place? The bulk of the movie (aside from flashbacks) is set exactly one week after the events of Captain America: Civil War, so 2016. If you’re the sort of person who plays close attention to timelines then you’re in trouble because the MCU’s chronology is already in tatters. But this movie probably comes immediately after Civil War and before Doctor Strange, Spider-Man Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok. Though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which came out after Doctor Strange, was mostly set well before it. Confused? Justifiably. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line of dialogue (er, if you blink loudly and you’ll miss it) states that the Vibranium that fell to Earth in Wakanda seeped into the ground and affected the soil and plant life, generally working its way into the ecosystem. The heart-shaped herb’s powers can therefore be assumed to be a side-effect of vibranium ingestion or vibranium-caused mutation. Why did Killmonger have a glowing symbol inside his mouth if he wasn’t born in Wakanda? What was Killmonger’s father plotting? After being radicalised by the deprivation and racism inflicted on black communities in the US, Killmonger’s father planned to share Wakandan weaponry with the oppressed people of the world in the hope that it might even the balance somewhat. Interestingly, T’Challa sort of does do this at the end of the movie, so in a way his uncle got his way – though through more peaceful means. Did Klaue actually die? You might think it was pretty clear but at least two people I was with in my screening had to be reminded that yes, although it cut away from Killmonger shooting Klaue initially, we did see a corpse in the body bag later on, so there’s no ambiguity about his death. At least, no more than with the average Marvel movie… Did Ross survive the destruction of Shuri’s lab? Who is the White Wolf? If Black Panther is your first Marvel movie then you might not realise who the ‘White Wolf’ is in that second post-credits scene. In case it needs explaining, the White Wolf is Bucky Barnes, a man who was Captain America’s best friend when the two were growing up in New York. Lost during a mission in World War 2, Bucky was captured by Hydra and brainwashed to be the perfect assassin. Cryogenically frozen and thawed out only rarely to kill specific targets (including Tony Stark’s parents) he encountered Captain America again in the present day. When his programming was re-activated, Cap saved him, and Bucky voluntarily submitted to Wakanda’s advanced technology in the hope that he could be cured. The implication from the final post-credits scene is that this has happened. If you’re watching Black Panther hoping for a hint of the sixth and final Infinity Stone, you’re pretty much out of luck – at least for the moment. There’s no implication in either this movie or the comics that Vibranium has anything to do with the Infinity Stones. That’s not to say it couldn’t be revealed somewhere down the line that the huge Vibranium meteorite that landed in Wakanda hides an Infinity Stone at its core, but right now there’s no suggestion of it. Are the heart-shaped herbs gone forever now? Let us know any more questions you might have in the comments…
