Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Infinity War! Read ahead at your own risk!
It's no secret that there are some big developments in Wakanda during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos, his Black Order and the Outriders laid siege to the fictional African nation, and the Infinity Stones killed half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when the Mad Titan snapped his fingers. The event brings most of the MCU together for the first time, but notable Wakandan characters Nakia and W'Kabi were noticeably absent from the affair. However, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend to discuss Black Panther's home release, Marvel producer Nate Moore confirmed that Nakia and W'Kabi were not forgotten, and there is a plan to return to their stories. Moore told us:
We definitely know where Nakia is and we know where W'Kabi is, and that was stuff we talked about with the Russo brothers and with Markus and McFeely. So I think as you move forward through the Marvel Cinematic Universe those stories will be told, if not right away pretty soon.
So while Nakia and W'Kabi were not featured or acknowledged in Avengers: Infinity War, the folks at Marvel did not forget about them. The Black Panther team coordinated with the Infinity War team in an attempt to create a sense of cohesion between these stories, and there is a plan in place to eventually go back to their respective arcs and continue what was started in Ryan Coogler's solo movie.
Of course, that raises questions as to when we will get that promised continuation. Luckily, Nate Moore also said in his conversation with CinemaBlend that we will see elements of the Nakia and W'Kabi story fleshed out even further in Avengers 4, as Wakanda deals with the fallout of T'Challa's death at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Moore told us:
I don't want to spoil it, but Avengers 4 obviously will deal with the fallout of Avengers 3 and I think you may get some hints there.
That makes sense in hindsight. Nakia is a globetrotting spy, so it's logical to assume that she possibly wasn't even in Wakanda when Thanos' army arrived, and W'Kabi was presumably locked up in prison during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. However, the death of T'Challa will send shockwaves through Wakanda, and it seems reasonable to expect that these characters will receive more attention as they mourn the untimely demise of their king.
On that note, it looks like we will have to wait until the May 3, 2019 release of Avengers 4 to see any hints of how Wakanda is dealing with the loss of its king. Make sure to stay tuned for more awesome Marvel updates as they become available to us, and pick up your copy of Black Panther on Digital HD, Blu-ray or DVD today.
