“What are thooooose?!” Uh, Alexander McQueen sandals, actually.
There are a lot of visual similarities to The Lion King.
Love.
The self-lacing shoes Shuri creates for T’Challa are a reference to the self-lacing shoes in Back to the Future Part II.
She even calls BTTF Part II, “that old American movie” T’Chaka used to love watching.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / Disney / Universal
When Shuri screamed, “WHAT ARE THOOOOSE?!” — yeah, that was a reference to this iconic Vine video (and eventual meme):
Iconic.
And it turns out those sandals that Shuri makes fun of are actually Alexander McQueen shoes!
Oops?
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Also, when Shuri calls Everett “another broken white boy for us to fix” she’s referring to Bucky Barnes.
We saw him (and Captain America) in Wakanda in a post-credit sequence in Civil War.
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Young T’Chaka is actually played by actor John Kani’s (T’Chaka) real son Atandwa Kani.
Thus explaining the perfect likeness!
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Stan Lee’s credit in this film was “Thirsty Gambler.”
LOL.
Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / Via imdb.com
Ryan Coogler explained that James Bond actually had a pretty strong influence on the film.
For example, Shuri is like Q, the casino was reminiscent of Skyfall’s casino, and Everett is the classic buddy CIA operative.
Sony Pictures / Disney
T’Challa throwing himself on a grenade is a callback to a similar sequence in Captain America: The First Avenger.
If you remember, Steve Rogers performed a similar selfless act.
Disney / Via ameliajessicawilliamspond.tumblr.com
Shuri’s lab is on “Mount Bashenga,” which is named after the first Black Panther (from thousands of years ago).
Appropriate, no?
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T’Challa’s fight with M’Baku took place at dawn (symbolizing a new beginning), while his fight with Killmonger happened at sunset (symbolizing his downfall).
Also, Killmonger throwing T’Challa off of a waterfall is straight from the comic books.
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Killmonger says his allies are in London, New York, and Hong Kong…which happen to be the same cities where Doctor Strange has sanctums.
HMMMMM.
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At one point, Shuri wears her hair in two buns, a nod to fellow Disney princess, Princess Leia’s look in A New Hope.
Maybe Shuri will become a general someday, too?!
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When T’Challa, Okoye, and Nakia are in the casino, they’re wearing red, black, and green — i.e. the colors of the Pan-African flag.
Just some subtle brilliance.
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Donald Glover is mentioned in the end credits because he gave Ryan Coogler notes on the script.
No big deal, right?!
Jesse Grant / Getty Images
Black Panther’s cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, is the first female director of photography to receive an Oscar nomination (for Mudbound).
Morrison also shot Coogler’s critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station.
Mark Davis / Getty Images
Rapper Wale makes a brief cameo in the film.
The cameo happens near the beginning of the film when T’Challa is walking through the streets of Wakanda.
Mike Coppola / Getty Images
It’s hard to see, but during the interrogation of Ulysses (Andy Serkis), it looks like a bearded Captain America appears on one of the screens in the background.
Steve Rogers, is that you?
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And finally, Killmonger and T’Challa cradled their respective dead fathers in a similar fashion.
Killmonger held his father N’Jobu (Sterling K. Brown) the same way T’Challa held T’Chaka in Civil War.
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