The fictional nation of Wakanda, a marvel of technological advancement and cultural richness, has long captivated audiences within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its portrayal often highlights a powerful, hidden society that chose isolation over global engagement. With the release of Marvel`s animated anthology series, “Eyes of Wakanda,” viewers are presented with a deeper, albeit more ethically ambiguous, look at the nation`s history. While hailed by some, the series paradoxically illuminates significant narrative inconsistencies and raises critical questions about Wakanda`s long-standing moral compass.
The Vibranium Paradox: Isolationism and Its Questionable Virtues
For millennia, Wakanda has possessed technology far exceeding that of any other global power. Equipped with advanced weaponry and aerial capabilities since ancient times, the nation consistently chose stringent isolation. This policy, presented as a noble act of self-preservation and safeguarding of vibranium, invites scrutiny when viewed through a pragmatic lens. One might reasonably ponder why a civilization with such overwhelming superiority would never seek to influence, let alone aid, its less fortunate neighbors. The series inadvertently highlights this fundamental paradox: a nation with immense power, yet an almost pathological aversion to using it for the greater good beyond its borders, even when facing dire global crises.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” a maxim often attributed to the MCU`s web-slinging hero. In contrast, “Eyes of Wakanda” suggests a different take: great power often begets great hypocrisy, especially when self-interest masquerades as wisdom.
The core motivation for many Wakandan operations in the series revolves around the “retrieval” of vibranium artifacts. While framed as reclaiming their heritage, these missions frequently involve confiscating items from other cultures who have no knowledge of vibranium`s true properties, or even its existence. This narrative choice morphs Wakandan agents from heroic protectors into what can only be described as highly skilled, technologically superior thieves, driven less by universal justice and more by a proprietary obsession with a metal they simply stumbled upon.
Episode by Episode: A Critical Examination of Narrative Choices
Ancient Echoes and Modern Clichés
The series often veers into territories well-trodden by generic action narratives. The inaugural episode, “In the Lion`s Den,” set in 1260 BCE Crete, features a rogue Wakandan commander leveraging vibranium for conquest. While presenting a clear threat, the Wakandan response is motivated primarily by preventing a rival power from emerging, rather than by protecting the wider Mediterranean world. The protagonist, a former Dora Milaje member, embodies every action-hero cliché: operating as a lone wolf, defying authority, and single-handedly dispatching an improbable assembly of Viking, Samurai, and Assassin archetypes from a period long before their historical contexts converge. It`s a spectacle of combat that, while visually dynamic, lacks any sense of realistic consequence or logical character motivation.
Similarly, “Legends and Lies” rehashes the Trojan War myth, interweaving a Wakandan operative into the legendary conflict. This choice is particularly perplexing given the rich, untapped tapestry of African folklore and history available. The episode`s portrayal of mythological figures like Achilles and Memnon (who, historically, was an adversary, not an ally of Achilles) is deeply flawed, twisting established lore to serve a flimsy plot point involving a vibranium necklace. The agent`s ultimate betrayal of his supposed comrade for a mere artifact underscores the series` problematic moral framework.
A Glimmer of Self-Awareness?
Perhaps the most compelling and self-aware episode is the one set in China, featuring a character with ties to the Iron Fist mythology. Here, a Wakandan agent`s mission to “reclaim” a vibranium-infused dragon statue is directly challenged by a non-Wakandan character. This antagonist, if one can even call her that, articulately exposes the hypocrisy of Wakanda`s actions, highlighting that their “retrieval” missions are, in essence, simply theft. Crucially, this episode demonstrates a resolution that does not involve violence or deception, offering a rare moment of introspection and an acknowledgment that not all problems require brute force or covert ops for their solution. It suggests a potential, yet largely unexplored, path for Wakanda`s engagement with the world.
Time Travel and Tangled Ethics
The final episode plunges into time travel, positing a future apocalypse caused by Wakanda`s long-standing isolation. Set during the 1894 Ethio-Italian War, the plot sees Wakandan agents engaging in covert theft against a neighboring African nation actively fighting for its sovereignty. A future Black Panther appears, attempting to manipulate events to ensure a specific vibranium artifact falls into the hands of Kilmonger in the original Black Panther film. The logic here becomes exceptionally convoluted: rather than directly intervening or informing past Wakandan leaders of the impending doom, the future Panther`s plan hinges on a specific sequence of theft and a convoluted chain of events to break Wakanda`s isolation. It`s a narrative contrivance that raises more questions about the wisdom of Wakanda`s leadership across centuries than it resolves.
Visuals and Verdict: More Than Meets the Eye?
Visually, “Eyes of Wakanda” presents a mixed bag. Static backgrounds and scenic vistas often impress with their intricate detail and vibrant color palettes. However, character designs can be polarizing, oscillating between uniquely stylized and somewhat jarring. The animation, while generally fluid in less action-heavy sequences, struggles with conveying mass and impact during combat. Despite numerous implied fatalities, the conspicuous absence of blood often renders these encounters feeling sanitized and weightless, detracting from any perceived realism or narrative gravity.
The series commendably avoids simplistic narratives of racial conflict, especially given the historical context of African colonialism. Yet, by doing so, it inadvertently underscores Wakanda`s perplexing inaction during centuries of brutal exploitation on the continent. A nation capable of repelling alien invasions chose to stand idly by while its neighbors were systematically enslaved and plundered. This glaring omission, while perhaps intended to prevent a politically charged narrative, instead highlights a significant and uncomfortable aspect of Wakanda`s “heroic” legacy.
Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity or a Necessary Critique?
“Eyes of Wakanda” ultimately lands in a curious narrative no-man`s-land. It is not so compelling as to be truly enjoyable, nor is it so poorly executed as to be mockable. Its stories frequently fall flat, burdened by cliched characters and motivations that often paint Wakandan agents as morally dubious opportunists rather than admirable figures. While the occasional visual flourish or moment of narrative self-reflection exists, these are insufficient to redeem a series that feels prolonged even at four half-hour episodes. It serves less as an expansion of Wakandan lore and more as an unintentional, yet pointed, critique of the very ethical foundations upon which this advanced nation stands.
Gilbert Pendleton