Did ‘Black Panther’ End Credits Spoil ‘Avengers: Infinity War’?

One of the fun things about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s interconnected threads is that when you go back and rewatch the films, you can often spot teases and foreshadows of what was to come later in the MCU saga, that you never recognized on the first viewing. Sometimes those foreshadows were purposeful (see: The First Avenger’s Winter Soldier setup), other times, fans make entire connection all their own. The latter case applies to the end credits of Black Panther, which have been giving Marvel fans some serious PTSD about that tragic ending of Avengers: Infinity War:

Black Panther’s end credits sequence featured the characters of Wakanda in a sort of “sifting sand” series of avatars, which admittedly do have a design aesthetic that’s very similar to the Infinity Gauntlet erasure effect Thanos unleashes at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Of course, it must be said that witnessing T’Challa’s Black Panther costume fade away in that credits sequence probably has no actual foreshadow connection to Infinity War: as we see in Black Panther, the effect is used by Wakandan technology as the basis for projecting holographic models with what is presumed to be Vibranium shards, much like one of those pinhead 3D model toys you can buy.

Still, it’s pretty amazing to be see just how powerful an effect Infinity War has had on fans. The dark ending to the film has inspired an entire trend of Infinity War death memes, and the pixel-style fade away effect has, itself, become a popular trend, with fans adding it to their own personal photos. It’s all just more indication that Avengers: Infinity War will go down as a milestone film for many fans – that unforgettable Empire Strikes Back-style tragedy that sticks with them for years to come – even after Avengers 4 resurrects a lot of these dead heroes.

Meanwhile, Black Panther has already arrived on home video, after smashing all box expectations with its $1.3 billion haul, worldwide. The film was still in some theaters just before it released on home video – the kind of theatrical staying power you don’t see in modern blockbuster movies that often, anymore. Needles to say, anticipation for Black Panther 2 is strong, especially if T’Challa finds himself exiled from Wakanda’s throne after so much time away, with Shuri and the other royal ladies now running the show.

If you want to have a laugh, be sure to check out this video of Black Panther bloopers!

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universemovies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel opens 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.