I’ve seen every Marvel movie in the theater on its opening weekend. In the beginning, one could certainly be forgiven for leaving as soon as the credits start to roll. I mean, that’s when 99% of movies are well and truly over. With Black Panther, that’s not the case.
But we quickly learned that Marvel had a knack for weaving each film into the fabric of the MCU. The tool that they utilized to their greatest advantage was the post-credits scene – a little extra snippet, often less than one minute in length, that either ties the movie to a previous film or leads it into the next one.
And yet here we are, 10 years and 18 movies later, and people are *still* leaving the theater before the credits end. How do they remain so woefully uninformed? Sadly, Black Panther is no exception. Probably half of the filmgoers in my local theater were gone before the first scene; half of the remaining before the second. Obvious spoilers, ahead!
So, what did they miss? Quite a bit, actually. In the first scene, King T’Challa appears before the United Nations to reveal Wakanda’s true face to the world. For decades, everyone outside of the small African nation has believed it to be a desperately poor third-world country, too proud to accept assistance from any other government.
However, as we learn early in the movie, Wakanda is actually the exact opposite. Due to the presence of the extremely rare element vibranium, Wakandan technology is actually the most advanced in the world. The nation has great wealth, unsurpassed healthcare, and extraordinary scientific advancements. But its very proud and private citizens have no greater fear than colonization. They know that if their secrets were made known to the outside world, the Wakandan way of life would be lost forever.
Throughout the course of the film, though, T’Challa’s excellent character development leads him to realize that the rest of Africa – indeed, the rest of the world – deserves the benefit of their great knowledge. They have the power to end the pain and suffering of entire nations. And, therefore, they have a moral obligation to do so.
To that end, the King makes an extremely public declaration that it is time to work for the greater good. That all nations must come together as citizens of earth . “The wise build bridges, while fools construct barriers.” (This is an excellent time for the world to learn this lesson, since we know Thanos is on his way.)
The second scene, after the credits end, exists on a more personal scale. At the end of Captain America: Civil War, Bucky Barnes voluntarily re-entered cryostasis until his Hydra programming could be broken once and for all. Apparently, Wakandan medical advances were able to accomplish this, because he’s up and about. Being tended to by T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, in a remote village, he emerges from a humble hut in a simple, toga-like wrap. The most notable detail is that he is still missing his left arm, the Hydra tech having been removed before he went back in the freezer.
However, in the Avengers: Infinity War trailer, we see the erstwhile Winter Soldier sporting a shiny new limb. So we can only surmise that said appendage is not just Wakandan, but most likely vibranium. This will make him exponentially more powerful than he was in his previous life as a Russian assassin. Now that he’s fighting on the right side of things, this is certainly a welcome development. The fight against Thanos is going to take everyone, fighting at the greatest of their abilities.
What did you think about these two scenes? Did they include everything you hoped to see? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!