Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Has a Clever Black Panther Easter Egg

Over the last few years, Netflix has turned itself into a major hub for holiday movies both big and small, churning out a ton of Christmas-themed content on an annual basis. Movies like The Princess Switch, The Christmas Chronicles, Klaus, and many others have become staples in households all around. This year, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey joined the fray and instantly stole the hearts of many, including critics, who have heaped praise on the film. As it turns out, in addition to being a great movie, Jingle Jangle also finds a way to connect itself to one of the most popular blockbusters in decades, Black Panther.

On the surface, there isn’t a whole lot connecting Jingle Jangle and Black Panther. One is a Christmas movie and the other is a massive superhero adventure set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The only real connective tissue is that both films star Forest Whitaker. Thanks to an eagle-eyed fan on Reddit, however, we now know that Whitaker’s character in the new Christmas film has been hiding a Black Panther Easter egg in plain sight.

Whitaker’s character, Jeronicus, is a traveler, and he’s been to various places all around the world. You can see stickers from all kinds of different countries covering his suitcase. If you just glanced at the stickers the first time around, take a closer look. The blue sticker on the left side of the suitcase is from Wakanda, the fictional home of King T’Challa, the Black Panther.

Not only is Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey paying tribute to Black Panther — another big budget film dedicated to celebrating Black culture — with this Easter egg, but it’s also interesting that Whitaker’s character is the one that it belongs to. The actor plays Zuri in Black Panther, and he’s the only person who appears in both films. Jeronicus isn’t from Wakanda, and the two movies don’t take place in the same universe or anything, but it’s a delightful nod nonetheless.

Did you catch the Black Panther Easter egg in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey? Have you noticed any other clever nods in the film? Let us know in the comments!

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is now streaming on Netflix. You can check out Black Panther on Disney+.