Marvel Studios Animation’s new four-part series, Eyes of Wakanda, explored the history of Wakanda and its formidable War Dogs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and changed T’Challa’s legacy as the Black Panther in the process. The late Chadwick Boseman’s likeness wasn’t used to bring T’Challa to life in Eyes of Wakanda, but the animated series is considered canon to the MCU, which makes its intense finale, “The Last Panther,” even more game-changing. This episode not only introduced a new Black Panther to the MCU, but also made one of T’Challa’s most impressive feats much more important. Warning: SPOILERS for Eyes of Wakanda follow.
Eyes of Wakanda released all four of its half-hour-long episodes on Disney+ on August 1, 2025, as part of the MCU’s Phase 6. The series marks the first time an animated project has been considered canon to the MCU’s primary continuity of Earth 616, so characters such as Noni (Winnie Harlow), B’Kai (Larry Herron), Jorani’s Iron Fist (Jona Xiao), and Prince Tafari (Zeke Alton) all exist in the history of the MCU’s own Black Panther franchise. One story has already been rewritten, however, as Tafari and Kuda (Steve Toussaint) changed the future in Eyes of Wakanda’s finale.
Eyes of Wakanda Revealed a World That Changed T’Challa’s Legacy
Eyes of Wakanda’s final episode, “The Last Panther,” told two stories in one. In Ethiopia in 1896, experienced War Dog Kuda and trainee Tafari embarked on a mission to retrieve an ax forged from stolen vibranium. While they initially succeed thanks to Tafari’s nimbleness and mischievousness, they were then met by a visitor from the future – the future Queen of Wakanda and the Black Panther – who urges them to return the ax, allowing it to remain stolen. She hopes this will spare the world from her own’s fate, which has been ravaged by an invasion from the extraterrestrial Horde.
Known as the locusts of the universe in Marvel Comics, the Horde are a race of aliens first seen in 2007’s Eternals (Vol. 3) #6. They are ravenous, insect-like creatures who invade and consume entire civilizations and worlds. The Horde is intelligent, and operates using a hive mind, so is incredibly coordinated and organized, and has visited and threatened Earth on a number of occasions. This marked the set-up for the Eyes of Wakanda finale’s future-set scenes, which seemingly takes place in the 24th century, and reveals a world ravaged by the Horde.
The Horde invaded the last Black Panther’s world and, despite being opposed by the world’s heroes, eventually killed everyone except for a few Wakandan warriors, including the Black Panther and some of the Dora Milaje – spared because of their separation from the outside world. This separation was retained as the vibranium ax was retrieved by Tafari and Kuda in 1896, which spurred the Black Panther to travel back using quantum technology to urge the pair to return the ax. This calls back to T’Challa’s own actions in 2018’s Black Panther, as audiences have seen this vibranium ax before.
T’Challa’s New MCU Legacy is Much More Important
The ax that Tafari and Kuda try to retrieve and return to Wakanda in “The Last Panther” is the same ax that Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) retrieve from a museum in 2018’s Black Panther. This kick-started events that brought Killmonger to Wakanda and ultimately convinced T’Challa to start outreach operations, sharing Wakanda’s knowledge and technology with the world. This never would have happened if Tafari and Kuda had collected the ax, as it wouldn’t have arrived at the museum, Killmonger wouldn’t have come to Wakanda, and King T’Challa would have kept Wakanda hidden.
Eyes of Wakanda’s finale revealed that, if T’Challa had never started sharing Wakanda’s knowledge with the outside world, the Horde would have easily invaded the Earth. This makes T’Challa’s legacy in the MCU even more important, as he saved the world without even knowing it by outing Wakanda. This rewrote the last Black Panther’s timeline, all thanks to Tafari and Kuda returning the vibranium ax in 1896. The final moments of Eyes of Wakanda saw Killmonger back at the museum ready to take the ax – which we first saw in live-action at the start of Black Panther.
Eyes of Wakanda explored the MCU’s history in 1260 BC, during the time of the Ancient Greeks, in 1400 AD, which introduced a new Iron Fist to the MCU, and in 1896’s Ethiopia. This expanded the world of Wakanda and the MCU’s own timeline into some brilliant new corners, while stressing just how important Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa was to the MCU. The series confirmed that T’Challa saved the entire world from the Horde, marking an appropriate dedication to the late Chadwick Boseman’s own impact on the MCU.
What did you make of Eyes of Wakanda’s game-changing finale? Let us know in the comments!
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