‘Black Panther’: Did You Catch Shuri’s Clever ‘Back to the Future’ Reference?

Who knew Back to the Future would influence the smartest character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The trailers for Black Panther did well to highlight the high-tech inventions of T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri (played by Letitia Wright). We knew going in that she designed the Black Panther suit, as well as many of the other high-tech weapons seen in the film.

However, in one of the first scenes between T’Challa and Shuri, we learned that one of her creations was influenced by none other than Marty McFly. Just a heads up, there may be some very slight Black Panther spoilers ahead.

After T’Challa is crowned as King of Wakanda, he goes down to his sister’s lab to see what kind of new toys she has cooked up. In addition to an updated Black Panther suit, Shuri shows her brother a new set of shoes she designed.

This new footwear looked just like an insole for a tennis shoe when she held it in her hand. But, when T’Challa stepped on the fabric, a shoe grew around his foot, fitting him perfectly. This is where the Back to the Future nod comes into play.

Shuri tells T’Challa that she modeled the design after the character in “that ’80s movie father used to watch all the time.” Of course, anyone familiar with Back to the Future Part II knows exactly what she was talking about.

When Marty McFly arrives in the future he learns of several new technological advancements. In addition to the hoverboard he’s seen riding around for part of the movie, Michael J. Fox’s character is introduced to self-lacing shoes. This is where Shuri gets the inspiration for her new design.

It looks like the royal family of Wakanda has a good taste in movies, but does that really surprise anyone?

Black Panther is now playing in theaters. If you’ve seen the movie, don’t forget to give it a rating below!