Although the tiny African nation remains isolated from the rest of the world, Wakanda is the most technologically advanced nation on Earth.
Videos by ComicBook.com
This is largely due to fact that it sits upon a large deposit of Vibranium, which came courtesy of an ancient meteor strike. Over many years, they have been able to use their ingenuity and resourcefulness to harness the power of the rare element, learning how it absorbs kinetic energy and how to get the energy back out.
In the recently released trailer, we got to see the futuristic-like city and vehicles that Wakandans have built, but you might have missed the coolest tech of them all: Kimoyo Beads.
What’s that? When a baby is born in Wakanda, a bracelet is put on their wrist that includes a Prime Bead, which stores personal data such as medical records. And as they go through life, new beads are added to the bracelet and each one has its own purpose. The AV Bead allows Wakandans to bring up a holographic display and access the Wakandan database (the equivalent to our internet). The Communication Bead acts like a cellphone, allowing Wakandans to communicate with each other. There’s also a GPS Bead, and if you work a certain job, you’d get a bead tied to the machines of that workplace.
“They’re similar to the [Kimoyo] tech that’s been established in Black Panther before and they do tap into the vibranium of Wakanda,” Black Panther comic book artist Brian Stelfreez explained to Popular Science back in 2016. “We won’t show many Wakandan exports of technology in the comic because much of what we see simply can’t work outside the country. There’s just power in the ground of Wakanda all the time. So the [Kimoyo Beads] work well in Wakanda, but, when you leave, it’s like taking out the battery.
In our gallery below, you can see them worn by T’Challa, when he speaks at the United Nations; Erik Killmonger, while taking on the Dora Milaje; Okoye, during her casino action sequence and when she is surrounded by enemy combatants; and the emerald-suited, lip-plated elder (Isaach De Bankolรฉ), when he is sitting across from T’Challa’s widowed mother, Ramonda.
(via twolazytwolie)
After the events of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakanadan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
The film stars Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up), Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Lupita Nyong’o (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead), Martin Freeman (Sherlock), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), with Angela Bassett (American Horror Story), with Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), and Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron).
Additional cast members include Letitia Wright (Urban Hymn), Winston Duke (Modern Family), Florence Kasumba (Emerald City), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson) and John Kani (Coriolanus).
Ryan Coogler directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now. Spider-Man: Homecoming lands on July 7, 2017, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.
MORE BLACK PANTHER:
- How Black Panther Has Super Strength Revealed
- First Details On Shuri Revealed
- Black Panther Villain Will Have His Signature Weapon
- Who Killmonger Is Working With Revealed