The Wakandans played a much bigger part in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier than anyone was expecting, with a surprise cameo from Florence Kasumba’s Ayo leading to a full-blown action sequence involving the Dora Milaje in the following episode. It was great to see the world of Black Panther factor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe again, especially when it resulted in the detestable John Walker getting his ass handed to him by Wakanda’s elite special forces.
Of course, Bucky Barnes has plenty of history with the nation after being granted asylum at the end of Captain America: Civil War, where he was fitted with a brand new bionic arm for good measure. And Zemo was also the one responsible for the death of King T’Chaka in the aforementioned movie, so having the Dora Milaje get involved in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier made perfect sense from a narrative standpoint as well, with the warriors determined to see the former brainwashed assassin keep his end of the bargain and deliver them the man responsible for their ruler’s death.
They went on to lend a massive assist to Sam Wilson, who was in dire need of a new superhero suit after an enraged Walker tore his trusty wings off. Not only did the Wakandans take the initiative and gift him his very own star-spangled costume to cement his newfound status as Captain America, but it seems they also dipped into Wakanda’s vibranium reserves for good measure.
In a recent interview, Anthony Mackie described his new wings as “100% vibranium, the best that CGI can buy.” Compared to John Walker’s laughably ineffective homemade shield that lasted all of a minute, Sam’s weapon-and-wings combo forged from the strongest metal in the MCU only hammers home the notion that there’s a new and very much improved Captain America in town.
