'Black Panther': Why Winter Soldier Could Become a Big Problem for Wakanda

Risky Assistance

As we explained in our Civil War / Black Panther connection breakdown, the sequence of events point to the following:

• Black Panther helping defeat / capture Zemo at the end of Civil War.
• T'Challa returning to Wakanda with his father's body for the burial rituals.
• T'Challa and Okoye setting off for the mission to retrieve Nakia at the start of Black Panther.
• Erik Killmonger's failed coup attempt.
• Shuri waking Bucky from Cryo-sleep sometime after Killmonger's death.
• Bucky fighting for Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War.

That's a nice little arc for Winter Soldier's transition into a full-fledged MCU hero, but it comes with big risk:

Clearly from the events of Black Panther, and the timeline above, T'Challa and Shuri giving sanctuary to Bucky is a secret they had to keep from the rest of the Wakandan high council, as it would've violated Wakanda's isolationist policy. Right from the get-go, that sets up a risky precedent for T'Challa's deception of his own people and closest confidants to be exposed...

Imperfect Timing

Not only is T'Challa's act of defying Wakandan tradition and the trust of his people risky in its own right - it also happened at a less-than-ideal time. We already saw just how volatile the transition of power was in Wakanda - what we don't get to see in this first film is how T'Challa's radical change to Wakandan policy will go over with his subjects. At first, the notion of revealing Wakanda to the world and increasing aid may be welcomed by the larger circle of Wakandans, but once an international criminal shows up on their shores, it may start a fissure crack that quickly widens into a full uprising against the king. Especially after one big upcoming event...

Invasion!

Wakanda and its people all return in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, as Captain America returns to the country with his Secret Avengers team, looking to protect the Infinity Stone in Vision's head from falling into Thanos' gauntlet-covered hand.

While touted as a major action sequence in Infinity War, "The Battle of Wakanda" may also have big impact on the Black Panther sequel: T'Challa's new policy of openness is already going to be a controversial policy - after it leads to one of the biggest and possibly costly wartime skirmishes Wakanda has ever seen on its lands, then T'Challa's new world order may begin to crumble. Wakanda will remember the safety and prosperity of the former era, and may secretly long to return to it...

The White Wolf

Bucky's post-credits appearance in Black Panther came with a nice little Marvel Easter egg: the Children of the Wakandan village where Bucky wakes up call him "White Wolf" - a reference to an established Marvel Comics character.

In the books, White Wolf is a white man named Hunter who lost his parents in a plane crash within Wakanda's borders. T'Chaka took pity on the boy, and raised him to be a Wakandan, though many natives still looked at him as an outsider. Hunter took over Hatut Zeraze, Wakanda's secret police, becoming "White Wolf." His methods were too brutal for T'Challa, who eventually disbanded Hatut Zeraze. The group didn't splinter, though; under White Wolf's leadership, they became an elite team of mercenaries operating around the globe.

After the "Battle of Wakanda," Bucky could potentially earn his place as an honorary Wakandan and truly embody the MCU version of White Wolf. However, when his methods go too far, the political blowback on T'Challa could be severe...

#WakandaNoMore

There's a fair amount of expectation that T'Challa could follow his Marvel Comics arc, and end up becoming the exiled king of Wakanda in future installments of the franchise.

Between changing tradition, the growing revelations of terrible secrets held by T'Chaka, a major and costly battle against alien invaders, and the twisting of cultural traditions by "colonizers" like Everett Ross and White Wolf, Wakanda would have all the reason it needed to oust T'Challa as king. That would send T'Challa out into the world to become a full-fledged Avenger - possibly helping other heroes with their missions. T'Challa's exile could also be a cost he's willing to pay, as even bigger responsibilities than king suddenly come to the forefront...

Illuminati(on)

Now that Disney has acquired 20th Century Fox, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been longing for the one thing that could never have happened before: the introduction of the MCU Illuminati!

In the comics, T'Challa was part of the clandestine group of Marvel leaders who assembled to converse about looming threats to the Earth or Cosmos, or other secret initiatives that needed to be executed. They formed after the Kree-Skrull War, and vowed to share information of threats whenever necessary.

The Illuminati were responsible for events like shipping Hulk into the cosmos (causing both "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk"), and were the first to recognize threats the Skrull Secret Invasion of Earth, and the "Secret War" that save the collapse of the Marvel Multiverse. With events like "Secret Invasion" expected for Phase 4 of the MCU, the Illuminati are expected to be part of the mix. Winter Soldier's time in Wakanda could start T'Challa along the path that eventually leads him to Illuminati status.

Avenger or King

In addition to the Illuminati, the issue of having Bucky in Wakanda could also start a process that pushes T'Challa to make a similarly big choice: King or Avenger. Fans expect to see Black Panther become a full-fledged member of the team, but its hard to see how he could balance loyalty to a team of worldly peacekeepers, with loyalty to his country and its people. Whether Bucky plays out the White Wolf storyline, or leaves Wakanda after Infinity War, the end result could be the same: Bucky leaving for the sake of a greater mission, and T'Challa having to decide if he's going to do the same.

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What do you think is in store for Bucky / Winter Soldier in Wakanda? Let us know in our brand-new comment section!

Black Panther is now in theaters. It will be followed by Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.