From the first trailer for the movie, it’s been clear that Avengers: Infinity War will feature a significant role for Black Panther‘s homeland of Wakanda, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will convene in the African country in order to take on Thanos’ forces.
It was at first theorized that the Mad Titan was attacking the nation because it was home to the Soul Stone, which has still yet to be located, but it’s recently been confirmed that staging the battle in Wakanda is all the Avengers’ decision. It’s where they take Vision after he’s attacked by the Black Order in an attempt to pry the Mind Stone from his cranium.
But why does King T’Challa let the Avengers use his turf as the site of the conflict? Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, was posed this question during a set visit and revealed that it’s part of T’Challa’s newfound sense of duty to the world at large.
“You have a world problem with Thanos, a problem that affects everyone in the world. So Wakanda is on the world stage, and we’re obviously advanced in a way where we can help with the situation, so that is all that’s happening here.”
Wakanda first becoming more active “on the world’s stage” occurred at the end of Black Panther. After centuries of keeping their affluence a secret, T’Challa decided to open up about the country’s advanced tech and abundance of vibranium after his experiences fighting Killmonger, promising to share their knowledge and resources with the globe. Given this, it makes sense that the heroic king would do anything he can to help the Avengers protect the planet from the Mad Titan.
In related news, Kevin Feige has also confirmed that Wakanda will be the setting for the big third act of Infinity War, with most of the characters coming together in the country for the climactic conflict. Including the Guardians of the Galaxy – or, at least, Rocket and Groot.
And we’ll get to see for ourselves how it all plays out when Avengers: Infinity War hits cinemas on April 27th.