The so-hot-right-now Black Panther movie is many things – the biggest box-office opening for an African-American director, the biggest February opening in history (sorry, Deadpool) and, as of today, Marvel’s Afrocentric blockbuster now holds the record for the biggest Monday of all time with $40.2 million.
That’s just enough to see it past The Force Awakens ($40.1 million), as Black Panther‘s worldwide haul ticks toward $500 million.
And though that’s a staggering and hugely impressive sum, Ryan Coogler’s spinoff is also the final Marvel movie to release before Avengers: Infinity War. On paper, it’s perhaps the perfect primer for the event movie, too, as much of Joe and Anthony Russo’s crossover appears to take place in and around Wakanda, and thanks to a new report from Screen Rant, we now have what appears to a definitive list of Black Panther characters set to return in May.
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and his whip-smart sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) are already a lock, but what about their Wakandan neighbors? Well, according to this new report, we can expect to see M’Baku (Winston Duke) back in action as well, as the Infinity War teaser shows his Jabari Tribe charging into battle against the Black Order and their six-armed minions.
The Queen Mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is also expected to appear, as is T’Challa’s trusted general Okoye (Danai Gurira). And finally, thanks to one of Black Panther‘s two post-credits scene, the rejuvenated Bucky Barnes is also on board and, frankly, he owes Shuri a drink, after she created a one-to-one digital copy of his brain in order to erase any trace of HYRDA.
Once Black Panther‘s reign has come to an end, Marvel Studios will begin directing our attention toward Avengers: Infinity War, the ensemble movie set to flip the MCU on its head.