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Disney+ Black Panther Series Creator Teases MCU Cameos (& the Possibilities Are Endless)
With a new trailer for Eyes of Wakanda being released days before the series, Marvel Studios has offered a thrilling look into the secret history of the hidden African nation. The animated series will follow the Hatut Zaraze, Wakanda’s elite spies, as they operate throughout different historical eras to protect their homeland and retrieve stolen Vibranium artifacts. This globe-trotting adventure promises to expand the lore of the MCU in significant ways, and according to the show’s creator, it will feature some recognizable faces along the way. Speaking with Empire magazine, series creator Todd Harris teased that MCU fans may find some familiar characters popping up in the historical spy-thriller.
“There’s definitely going to be some familiarity,” Harris said, teasing that established MCU characters will make appearances. He stressed, however, that the series has a unique and ambitious scope, explaining that the show “is about how Wakandans intersected through history — those futuristic, Star Trek-level Africans who bounce through time.” Adding to this historical tapestry, Harris revealed an idea from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler that was incorporated into the show, a group of seafaring people inspired by real-world Bronze Age groups. “They were raiders who robbed their way through the Mediterranean,” Harris revealed. “Which gave us an open [book] in terms of creating a world based on very vague but dramatic circumstances.”
Eyes of Wakanda‘s time-hopping format opens the door for a virtually endless list of potential cameos that can anchor the animated series within the MCU canon. For instance, the show’s historical settings could allow the Wakandan spies to cross paths with the Eternals, who were active on Earth for millennia. Plus, other MCU characters are wandering the world for centuries before Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr.) rise, like Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) or the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Finally, a World War II-era story could easily see the Hatut Zaraze crossing paths with Captain America (Steve Rogers) and the Howling Commandos, perhaps even witnessing the origins of his Vibranium shield. The first trailer has already confirmed this deep integration by revealing a historical version of the Iron Fist, signaling that Eyes of Wakanda is committed to weaving the nation’s secret history into the fabric of the wider MCU.
Everything We Know About Eyes of Wakanda
Eyes of Wakanda is a four-episode animated limited series developed by showrunner Harris, a veteran storyboard artist from the Black Panther films, ensuring a strong visual and thematic connection to the live-action world. With Black Panther director Coogler serving as an executive producer, the show is poised to be a significant expansion of Wakandan lore. The series is confirmed to be set within the main MCU timeline and will follow the Hatut Zeraze, a clandestine spy division described by Harris as a “Wakanda-grade James Bond” organization. These elite agents, also known as the “Dogs of War,” are tasked with dangerous missions to recover powerful Vibranium artifacts that have been lost or stolen throughout history, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands and altering the course of the world.
The show will utilize an “anthology adjacent” structure, with each of its four episodes set in a different time period but connected by an overarching narrative. The story kicks off in 1260 B.C., introducing a prospective Hatut Zeraze agent named Noni (Winnie Harlow), and will reverberate through time from there. This format leverages the creative freedom of animation, allowing the creators to build historical worlds on a scale that would be prohibitive in live-action. Harris has emphasized that his goal was to make the world of Wakanda feel bigger and more diverse than ever before.
The inclusion of the Hatut Zeraze itself is a deep pull from the comics. Created by Christopher Priest, they were originally Wakanda’s ruthless secret police, a force T’Challa disbanded due to their extreme methods. The MCU’s version appears to be reimagined as a more heroic, externally focused intelligence agency, aligning with the spy-thriller tone of the series. This adaptation allows the show to explore themes of loyalty, secrecy, and the moral complexities of protecting a nation that has chosen to remain hidden from the world.
Eyes of Wakanda premieres with all four episodes on August 1 on Disney+.
Which MCU character are you most hoping to see make a surprise appearance in Eyes of Wakanda? Let us know in the comments!
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