The MCU Just Undid T’Challa’s Legacy As Black Panther (& Made It So Much More Important)

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Marvel’s latest animated series, titled “Eyes of Wakanda“, delved into the past of Wakanda and its powerful War Dogs within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, significantly altering T’Challa’s legacy as the Black Panther. In this series, Chadwick Boseman’s likeness was not employed to portray T’Challa, but the animated adaptation is still considered part of the MCU, heightening the impact of its climactic episode, “The Last Panther”. This installment introduced a new Black Panther character in the MCU and elevated one of T’Challa’s most remarkable achievements. SPOILER ALERT: The following discussion contains spoilers for Eyes of Wakanda.

On August 1, 2025, the animated series “Gaze of Wakanda” debuted its four half-hour episodes on Disney+, as part of Phase 6 within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This marks the inaugural instance of an animated project being recognized as part of Earth 616’s primary continuity. As a result, characters like Noni (Winnie Harlow), B’Kai (Larry Herron), Jorani’s Iron Fist (Jona Xiao), and Prince Tafari (Zeke Alton) are now an integral part of the MCU’s Black Panther lineage. However, one narrative has been revised, as the final episode of “Gaze of Wakanda” saw Tafari and Kuda (Steve Toussaint) altering the future.

Eyes of Wakanda Revealed a World That Changed T’Challa’s Legacy

As a cinephile immersed in the captivating world of Wakanda, I found myself enthralled by the final episode of “Eyes of Wakanda,” titled “The Last Panther.” This compelling tale unfolded in two intertwined narratives. In the past, set in 1896 Ethiopia, a seasoned War Dog named Kuda and his trainee Tafari undertook an assignment to recover a vibranium-forged ax. The mission was initially successful due to Tafari’s agility and knack for mischief. However, their journey took an unexpected turn when they were confronted by a time-traveling visitor – the future Queen of Wakanda and Black Panther herself. She pleaded with them to return the ax, believing that its continued theft could save the world from her own reality’s plight, which was devastated by an invasion from the ominous extraterrestrial Horde.

In Marvel Comics, the Horde are extraterrestrial beings often referred to as cosmic locusts. They made their debut in issue #6 of Eternals (Vol. 3) from 2007. These creatures resemble insects and have a voracious appetite for destruction, consuming entire civilizations and worlds without remorse. The Horde demonstrates an advanced intelligence and works collectively as a hive mind, making them highly coordinated and organized. They have targeted Earth on multiple occasions, setting up the scenes in the final episode of Eyes of Wakanda, which appears to be set in the 24th century, depicting a world devastated by the Horde’s relentless attacks.

In a different realm, the Horde launched an attack on the Black Panther’s domain, encountering resistance from global heroes. However, the invaders ultimately managed to eliminate most inhabitants, leaving only a handful of Wakandan warriors alive, such as the Black Panther and some Dora Milaje. This small group was spared due to their isolation from the world outside. The reason for this separation is traced back to 1896 when Tafari and Kuda retrieved the vibranium ax, an artifact that prompted the Black Panther to travel through quantum technology in order to ask the pair to return it. This event mirrors a previous action by T’Challa, as depicted in the 2018 film Black Panther, where viewers are already familiar with the vibranium ax.

T’Challa’s New MCU Legacy is Much More Important

In the film “The Last Panther,” the ax that Tafari and Kuda are trying to recover and return to Wakanda is the very same artifact that was stolen by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) from a museum in 2018’s “Black Panther.” This heist set off a chain of events, leading Killmonger to Wakanda and influencing King T’Challa to initiate global outreach programs, sharing Wakanda’s wisdom and technology with the world. If Tafari and Kuda had successfully retrieved the ax earlier, it wouldn’t have ended up at the museum, Killmonger wouldn’t have come to Wakanda, and King T’Challa would have kept Wakanda secluded.

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I can’t help but marvel at how the climax of “Eyes of Wakanda” unfolded. It turns out that if T’Challa hadn’t embarked on his journey of sharing Wakanda’s wisdom with the world, the Horde would have effortlessly overrun Earth. This only serves to underscore the profound impact T’Challa has had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he unwittingly saved the world through his actions that exposed Wakanda. The course of the last Black Panther’s tale was significantly altered due to Tafari and Kuda returning the vibranium axe in 1896. In the final scenes of “Eyes of Wakanda”, we see Killmonger once again at the museum, poised to seize the axe – a piece of history we first witnessed in live-action at the beginning of “Black Panther”.

In the “Eyes of Wakanda” series, we delved into various chapters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) history. These included 1260 BC, the era of Ancient Greece, 1400 AD, and 1896 in Ethiopia. This exploration brought a fresh Iron Fist into the MCU fold, broadening both Wakanda’s world and the timeline of the MCU. The series skillfully highlighted the pivotal role Chadwick Boseman’s character T’Challa played within the MCU, as it was established that T’Challa single-handedly saved the entire world from the Horde – a fitting tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman’s own influence on the MCU.

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2025-08-03 21:41