‘Black Panther’ Trailer Shows Off Wakanda; 4 Fun Facts About T’Challa’s Home

The new “Black Panther” trailer makes it clear that this Marvel movie is bringing audiences to a whole new world. Wakanda is a big deal in the comics, so moviegoers will want to know a few things about the fictional country.

1. Hidden The latest “Black Panther” trailer (seen at the top of this page) shows some sort of jet flying into a barrier that reveals Wakanda isn’t a random place in the jungle. After going through the wall , it looks like a modern city. Wakanda, located in Africa, makes it look like they’re just a third world country, nothing special to see.

They don’t want to subject themselves to outsiders who want their vibranium (the special metal that makes up Captain America’s shield and Black Panther’s suit) or their technology. This argument is actually what causes trouble for T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he seeks to reach out to other countries and some of his subjects fight back.

2. Technology Wakanda is advanced. In the trailer, Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), a CIA agent, tells T’Challa that this is unbelievable. “I have seen gods fly. I have seen men build weapons that I couldn’t even imagine,” Ross says. “I’ve seen aliens drop from the sky. But I have never seen anything like this. How much more are you hiding?”

In the comics, Wakandans have found alternative energy sources to keep them going, so they don’t have to worry about trade with other countries. They also keep their technology to themselves, so expect weapons and devices even fancier than Tony Stark’s toys and trinkets.

3. Secret Service Every country has soldiers, but Black Panther’s personal secret service is a little more intense. They’re called the Dora Milaje, an all-female group who protect the king. They used to be wives-in-training for the king, but these days they’re pretty much here to kick butt.

“Captain America: Civil War” already introduced viewers to Ayo (Florence Kasumba), and several other members will appear in “Black Planther,” most notably Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Okoye (Danai Gurira). They’re a lot more than security in the February flick, though. As previously reported, Nakia, who is T’Challa’s love interest, is a spy.

“Nakia is a war dog. She is basically an undercover spy for Wakanda. Her job is to go out into the world and report back on what’s going on,” Nyong’o told Entertainment Weekly.

4. Cults Wakanda is a big country and a lot of people have differing beliefs. In particular, different tribes have different Heliopolitan deities that they worship. Obviously, Bast the Panther Goddess has a big following. However, the White Gorilla Cult will also play a role in the upcoming movie. M’Baku (also known in the comics as Man-Ape) is set to appear in the movie, played by Winston Duke, and he worships Ghekre the Gorilla God. Other Wakandans worship Sekmet the Lion Goddess and Sobek the Crocodile God.

The “Black Panther” movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, is set to hit theaters Feb. 16. Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Sterling K. Brown and Phylicia Rashad are also set to star.