Spoiler warning: Don’t read on if you haven’t seen “Black Panther” yet.
Since Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in “Captain America: Civil War,” it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Chris Evans’ star-spangled Avenger ended up having a cameo in “Black Panther.”
Despite his recent on-screen encounters with the leader of Wakanda and hints at their reunion in “Avengers: Infinity War,” unfortunately, the Boston actor doesn’t show up in Marvel’s latest blockbuster. That said, the film’s post-credits scenes will have a huge impact on the future for Steve Rogers and his pals.
Taking a step back, “Civil War” ended with Captain America on the run from the government and in hiding after his battle with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and team Iron Man’s Avengers crew. The flick ends with a post-credits scene featuring Rogers in Wakanda with his best bud Bucky (Sebastian Stan), who’s being put in suspended animation in order to have his Winter Soldier programming removed.
While the first “Black Panther” post-credit scene is just a nice bookend for the film, with the newly-crowned King T’Challa fully revealing Wakanda to the world at the United Nations, the second scene offers an intriguing preview of what’s to come for Bucky. Captain America’s trusted ally is seen fully awake and apparently cured of his mind control triggers.
The scene opens with a group of children gathering around a sleeping Bucky, who they call “White Wolf.” T’Challa’s tech-savvy sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) approaches the hut where Bucky was resting and tells the kids to stop bothering him as he walks out.
Although it’s a short scene, fans do get a chance to learn a lot about what Bucky’s been up to since “Civil War.” Not only has Shuri cured Bucky of his Winter Soldier programming, but he also seems to be immersing himself in Wakanda’s culture, as he’s wearing the fictional country’s traditional clothing. However, they haven’t provided him with a new arm to replace the one he lost.
As we’ve seen in the “Infinity War” trailer, Captain America will eventually make his way back to Wakanda to team up with Black Panther and others to fend off the invading forces of the evil Thanos (Josh Brolin), and Bucky will be right there, ready to go by his side.
While it’s a short tease at the upcoming team-up flick, overall, the post-credits scene offers a nice look at the future for Captain America’s pal.
“Black Panther” is now in theaters.
