Avengers: Endgame Almost Gave Wakanda Army Batman-Like Armor From Dark Knight Returns

Avengers: Endgame‘s final battle is stuffed with so many small details that it can make you dizzy if you zoom in too closely. In the new art book for the film, one detail left on the cutting room floor would have proved to be an impressive spectacle for fans of Black Panther. Portals is one of the instant highlights of the entire film and people in most screenings knew something epic was up as soon as the score started swelling. As soon as Falcon soars through that first circle, Black Panther and the collected forces of Wakanda aren’t very far behind. Well, some images of the army from the artbook show that the foot soldiers from the fictional country would have gotten some slick new panther-themed armor to go along with some sort of radical exoskeleton powered armor that also got the ax. Some have even wondered if the artists were a little influenced by the armor Batman dons in the Dark Knight Returns. (To be honest, there is a little resemblance in the head area and the color scheme.) But, the changes would have made the entire exchange a little more cloudy as well. Some viewers noted how hard some of the action in that giant battle was hard to follow already. Throwing in about 1,000 shiny silver Black Panther clones might not have helped in that regard.

There have been all sorts of discoveries about the details of that final battle changing over the last couple of days. But, things unfolded how they did and fans can only dream of seeing things like Tony Stark and Doctor Strange swapping costumes now. But, as far as Black Panther goes, there is more coming as the Phase 4 slate continues to fill out. A significant challenge is still hovering over Black Panther 2. As the MCU’s only Best Picture nominee so far, there is still a mammoth wave of expectations to conquer. Chadwick Boseman told MTV that he’s looking to push things forward in part two.

“I think, you know, hopefully we can maintain the foundation that we sort of set and build upon it and expand it and explore it. That’s what I hope,” Boseman said to MTV International while promoting his new movie 21 Bridges. “But I think first you have to maintain the foundation. We built a culture and a world, so you have to make sure that you keep that in place.”

One constant in the discussion around Black Panther 2 has been the pressure inherent in following up such a crowd-pleasing feature. Black Panther grossed $1.34 billion at the worldwide box office and director Ryan Coogler is all-too-aware of the weight on his shoulders.

“I think the pressure is kind of always going to be there,” Coogler told IndieWire. “I’ve had a chance to make three feature films, each one of them had its own very specific type of pressure. In the process of it, it feels insurmountable each time.”