We still know very little about the past of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in comparison to its Comic Book source. In comic books, we are familiar with what came before the universe and what may come after, depending on the story and creators. Yet in the MCU, we know only very little of what came before, and it mostly centered around the debut of Captain America. In 2018, Black Panther took us out of the mostly US-centric setting of the MCU and gave us our first glimpse into the nation of Wakanda, home to the King and the Superhero Black Panther, as well as the many citizens of that nation. We met the Dora Milaje, the Royal Guard, and many others. It was the first time we saw a perspective of the MCU world from another lens —one that is older and has a history within the world. This is explored further in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with Talokan and their leader, Namor.
The new series, Eyes of Wakanda, delves deeper into Wakandan history through the Hatut Zeraze, also known as the War Dogs—a secret group of Wakandan warriors who venture into the world to retrieve vibranium. The show covers four specific agents throughout the history of the world, from the ancient world through to the early 20th century, way before most of the events we’ve seen in the MCU. The four, half-hour animated episodes are essentially secret spy stories, with each of our Wakandan protagonists featuring different types of spy stories, ranging from the more action-focused, like James Bond or Mission: Impossible, to those with humor, like Get Smart.
The series has some of the best animation I’ve seen on an MCU show. While still having a core design sense of the characters you expect from a Disney series, they push the visual look for each story setting. My favorite episode is the first one – Into the Lion’s Den, about a disgraced former Dora Milaje named Noni who must go to stop a former member of the Royal Guard from conquering the seas as a man called The Lion. This episode sets the tone with dynamic action and fight choreography, along with a solid story that prompts reflection on the nature of Wakandan society, even in ancient Greece. The highlight of the episode is the many creative warriors Noni must face as she confronts the Lion. It reminded me of watching a person play a great PS2 action game as Noni faces a Viking, Samurai, and Samoan warrior before getting to the final boss with all the tricks and stages you’d expect an end boss to have.
I struggled a bit with the stories, though, as I was finding it harder and harder to like or root for the agents on their missions. I don’t think the stories ever make you feel that these folks are shades of gray; that while they are the protagonists, they aren’t necessarily the “hero.” While I think each episode is good for me, I ended up rooting against the Wakandan agents through episodes two and three. Episode four attempts to connect all four episodes to the story of the Black Panther film, which, for me, was unnecessary, but I think it works better for the MCU audience than for myself. In comics, they’ll just tell stories like this to tell stories with no need to always tie to a bigger series or event story that we’ve already read. Sometimes it’s good just to have a thing be a thing and not worry exactly about “canon” or, as the kids like now, “lore”.
Eyes of Wakanda is a well-made animated series created by talented individuals who genuinely care. The show looks great and is a captivating watch. While the stories were something I couldn’t completely connect to, I feel this is something many others will find very enjoyable. Parents should be a bit leery, as there is violence, blood, and death on screen that might be a bit much for younger children. If you’re hungry for more Black Panther and Wakanda, you can eat here.
Rating: B
