Black Panther
Film · 2018 · 134 minutes · Phase Three
After the death of his father T'Chaka, T'Challa returns home to the hidden African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king and don the mantle of Black Panther. His reign is soon tested when Ulysses Klaue resurfaces alongside Erik Killmonger, a dangerous adversary with a claim to the throne and a plan to use Wakanda's vibranium technology to arm oppressed people worldwide. T'Challa must reckon with his father's legacy and decide what kind of king — and what kind of nation — Wakanda will be.
Follows on from
- Captain America: Civil Wardirect-sequel — T'Challa's father T'Chaka is killed in the UN bombing at the end of Civil War, directly triggering T'Challa's return to Wakanda to assume the throne — the inciting event of this film's plot.
Leads to
- Avengers: Infinity Warcrossover — Wakanda, opened to the world at the end of Black Panther, becomes the site of the film's climactic battle, with T'Challa, Shuri, Okoye, and Wakanda's armies and technology playing a major role.
- What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark? — S01E06crossover — The episode's entire second half is built on Black Panther's cast and mythology — T'Chaka, T'Challa, Ulysses Klaue, Wakanda, and the mantle-succession ritual all central — as Killmonger kills T'Challa, frames Wakanda, and takes the Black Panther mantle from T'Chaka.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverdirect-sequel — Set after T'Challa's death and continues Wakanda's story, its royal family, and its conflict over vibranium directly from the first film.
- Into the Lion's Den — S01E01side-story · optional — Shows the long history of Wakanda hiding its vibranium and technology from the world, the isolationist stance that Black Panther's plot revolves around; watching it adds background but isn't needed to follow this episode.