Marvel fans finally got a good look at Wakanda in Black Panther this February, and will likely never want to leave the on-screen world. Luckily, Black Panther characters will appear in Avengers: Infinity War, the next Marvel movie, out in May. The fact makes saying goodbye to all of these amazing new heroes we just met in Ryan Coogler's film that much easier.
Spoilers ahead for Black Panther. The fact that some Black Panther characters will be in the next movie is no surprise. The Infinity War trailer shows at least one battle taking place in Wakanda, and certain members of the Avengers fighting alongside the country's various armies; you can even see the Hulkbuster Iron-Man armor outside of the city in one shot. It all comes back to how, at the end of Black Panther, T'Challa makes the decision to reveal his hidden country to the world and open up borders. His nation is going to take center stage soon, and Black Panther may have revealed the soul stone in an Easter Egg, something that'll likely come up in Infinity War, too.
Below is a quick list of who from Black Panther will return to the MCU later this year, according to IMDb. Notably and unfortunately absent from the Infinity War cast are Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi and Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia. But perhaps they just have yet to be announced — after all, Thor Ragnarok's Tessa Thompson is still listed as "rumored" on the database cast list for Infinity War, so you never know who might pop up. But even if Nakia and W'Kabi don't show, we'll only have to wait for the Black Panther sequel to see them again.
T'Challa
Well, obviously. Though Black Panther doesn't include any scenes where T'Challa talks about having joined the Avengers (because he hasn't) or registered with the Sokovia Accords (because that's not why he was on Team Iron Man), he will appear in the next meet up.
Okoye
The Dora Milaje are joining the fight, and you can see Danai Gurira's character in that epic running shot in the first Infinity War trailer alongside Black Panther, Cap, Black Widow, Rhodey, Hulk, and Falcon.
Shuri
T'Challa's little sister is the smartest person in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a lab that would make Tony Stark and Bruce Banner cry with envy. It also seems pretty likely that the princess fashioned Captain America's sleek new shield, which was seen in the Super Bowl teaser trailer for Infinity War.
M'Baku
At the end of Black Panther, the Jabari mountain tribe repaired ties with the rest of Wakanda, and it'll be awesome (and hilarious) to see M'Baku again in Infinity War. If you look closely in the trailer, you can spot him. Fingers crossed he barks at Stephen Strange.
In an interview with Latino Review Media, actor Winston Duke said that "M'Baku plays a big role in Wakanda’s story in that film, and the role that Wakanda plays in the Avengers: Infinity War. He will be tested, as you can suspect, with Thanos coming and doing his thing. You’re going to like what you see, it’s going to be epic."
Ramonda
As Queen Mother, Angela Bassett's character is never too far from her children — especially if, as the Infinity War trailer suggests, an evacuation happens. While Bassett hasn't been seen in footage yet, according to SlashFilm, she'll be there.
Bucky Barnes
He kind of counts, right? The former Winter Soldier and "white wolf" is currently recovering in Wakanda, as the second credits scene in Black Panther proves. Unless Thanos attacks Wakanda directly, Bucky could be part of the reason that the crew ends up in T'Challa's kingdom in the first place. Steve Rogers may be rocking an undercover beard, but he's going to want to pay his buddy a visit at some point, right?
So, while not quite a full Black Panther reunion, this is still a decent amount of people. There will be some side characters from Doctor Strange and Spider-Man: Homecoming hanging around Infinity War as well. It just goes to show how rich the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that we can always check in with our favorites — and Black Panther just gave fans a ton of new ones to love.
