Marvel fans got some cause for optimism when Denzel Washington recently confirmed that Black Panther 3 is, in fact, on the way. Though it may be a while before a concrete update surfaces, fans won’t have to wait long to return to Wakanda. An animated spin-off of the Black Panther series has been in the works for years, although the details of the project have been a mystery. Now, however, Eyes of Wakanda finally has a release date (August 6, 2025), along with an official premise.
On the surface, Eyes of Wakanda has a lot in common with Marvel anthologies like What If...? The four-part series will follow the adventures of “brave Wakandan warriors throughout history.” Specifically, it will show us the Hatut Zaraze, who serve as the nation’s secret police. Their reputation in Marvel Comics is controversial, as they’re known to carry out missions too dangerous or dubious for the Black Panther. But Eyes of Wakanda will likely paint the Hatut Zaraze in a more noble light, as each episode will follow members throughout history as they “carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from the enemies of Wakanda.”
Vibranium has been a topic of interest in the MCU from its earliest days. The ore has been used to create Captain America’s shield, Vision’s synthezoid body, and Riri William’s Ironheart armor, but Wakanda has worked hard to keep it out of its enemies’ hands. That struggle took center stage in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with world powers vying for their own stake in Wakanda’s precious vibranium cache.
That Eyes of Wakanda will explore that conflict throughout history makes it an interesting addition to the MCU. Unlike most animated Marvel projects, it has direct ties to a live-action story. Out of all the animated Marvel shows premiering next year, it’s likely the only one that will be canonical to the MCU.
Marvel has steadily been building out its animated catalog, but each of its shows, however brilliant, feel like experiments or one-off stories. The speculative anthology What If is the most obvious example, but shows like X-Men ‘97 and the upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man exist outside the main MCU continuity. Animation creates opportunities to escape Marvel’s oppressive house style, but when none of the offerings are officially canon, the shows start to feel optional.
Eyes of Wakanda offers a new path forward. The series will likely fill in some backstory for the Black Panther films, but it could also pave the way for more animated shows that are actually canon to the MCU. There’s no reason to limit the importance of animation, and now we might be just one step closer to a fully integrated cinematic universe.
