Marvel Reveals First Episode Details From EYES OF WAKANDA Series Which Is Set Thousands of Years Ago

Marvel Animation debuted the first episode of its upcoming series Eyes of Wakanda at this week’s Annecy Animation Festival. Director Todd Harris introduced the episode, titled “Into the Lion’s Den,” before a Q&A session on the morning of June 9.

Harris, previously a story artist for Marvel on Black Panther and its sequel Wakanda Forever, said the show followed an “anthology adjacent” format.

The episode, the first of four in the series, is set in 1260 B.C., and turns on a Wakandan secret agent, a disgraced former Dora Milaje named Noni (played by Winnie Harlow), as she pursues a man by the moniker of ‘Lion’ (Cress Williams).

Lion has defected from the Wakandan guard in order to run a band of pirates, and has stolen technology from Wakanda in order to found his own kingdom. Noni finds him in Crete, where Lion’s crew of pirates, assembled from fighters from around the world, are currently pillaging and enslaving a town. 

Each of the 30-minute episodes will take place across different time periods, following different artefacts taken. But there is some continuity, as the impact of the Lion’s actions will apparently be felt across all of that time. Harris also teased some form of familiar Marvel characters making appearances: “There will be an Iron Fist in here, and not the Iron Fist you expect.”

There are other familiar touches, such as recollections of Ryan Coogler’s original ‘Black Panther’ in the dialogue and the visual design, but Harris notes that “it was never my goal to make ‘another one,’ my goal was to make something new.” 

Harris describes the fictional country, first depicted in Marvel Comics, as if “Star Trek got dropped in the middle of Africa, but was excited to explore the principles that keep such a nation preserved for as long as it has. Eyes of Wakanda intends to explore how the culture and tactics of Wakandans evolve as it introduces new characters in new time periods, but also the “stillness” which lies at its heart, as Wakanda seeks to remain isolated and resist “over-expansion.”

“Stillness is a difficult thing, and Wakanda by definition has remained the same,” the director says. “Staying still against the current takes energy – so what are they willing to do to remain that way, to not over-expand?”

Eyes of Wakanda is set to premiere on August 6, 2025 on Disney+. Are you looking forward to checking out this fresh new take on the stories of Wakanda?

via: Variety