Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is already a massive success at the box office, delivering a supercharged MCU event. From goosebumps to tears to exhilaration, you’ll experience everything in the span of almost three hours. But you’ll also realize that the plot is hardly perfect, and Wakanda Forever has a few glaring Avengers plot holes.
We’ve already discussed the biggest one, thanks to a detailed plot leak that dropped a few weeks before the premiere. But it turns out there’s an even more disturbing plot line that Marvel could have addressed with just a few lines of dialogue.
We’ll explain everything, but expect big spoilers to follow.
The big Wakanda Forever Avengers plot hole
Most MCU Phase 4 adventures share the same plot hole: The Avengers fail to intervene even though they absolutely should. They don’t show up in Wakanda Forever, either. Especially at a time when Wakanda doesn’t have a Black Panther.
The Avengers have been working as a group again since Infinity War. And we know from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that they’re actively monitoring all big threats. And Wakanda, through Okoye (Danai Gurira), has been very much involved in the Avengers’ work between Infinity War and Endgame.
Not only that but the Sokovia Accords have been repelled. The Avengers can intervene whenever they desire without having to fear any repercussions.
Movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home do not necessarily have an Avengers plot hole because the action happens incredibly fast. But the events in Wakanda Forever’s present-day MCU take several days to unfold. Plenty of time for even the slowest Avengers to show up and help.
Avengers cameos are expensive, of course. And Marvel wants these stories to be focused on the titular hero. But the world of superheroes is so complex that you can’t pretend the Avengers aren’t there. Yet it’s something Marvel has been doing consistently through Phase 4.
At the same time, the movies and TV shows hype the popularity of the Avengers after Endgame. Yet Marvel refuses to acknowledge their availability for a fast response.
It’s a plot hole that can be easily fixed. A few lines of dialogue in Wakanda Forever would explain why the Avengers aren’t coming. Or why Wakanda doesn’t need them. A falling out between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the most advanced nation on Earth is possible.
The heartbreaking Avengers plot hole
But you know what’s even worse than not having the Avengers offer assistance against Namor in Wakanda Forever? Not having any Avenger show up at the massive funeral event of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). It’s a detail you don’t even realize initially.
As we’ve explained, the world experienced T’Challa’s death already after Infinity War. Wakanda likely hosted similar celebrations when the King turned to ashes. And it’s not unreasonable to expect Avengers to have shown up in Wakanda. By the way, Shuri (Letitia Wright) perished alongside her brother.
We know that Wakanda and the Avengers remained in very close contact after Thanos (Josh Brolin) killed half of the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet. And then Wakanda rose to fight Thanos five years later when the Avengers were able to reverse the snap.
The action in Wakanda Forever takes place about a couple of years after Endgame. It seems incredibly unlikely for the Avengers and Wakanda to have fallen out to the point where they wouldn’t come to T’Challa’s funeral.
Of course, Wakanda might have decided not to allow outsiders to the ceremony we saw. There might have been others. But we don’t know. The Wakanda Forever script doesn’t feature such explanations.
Compare Wakanda Forever to the funeral of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in Endgame. Everyone was there.
How Marvel can still fix it
More importantly, Wakanda Forever honors Chadwick Boseman and his MCU legacy. The actor died two years ago, so Wakanda Forever also gives fans a chance to deal with grief and celebrate the actor.
Having the Avengers part of that in Wakanda Forever would have been iconic.
In Marvel’s defense, there is something that Namor (Tenoch Huerta) says at the end. He tells Namora (Mabel Cadena) that he accepted the defeat against the new Black Panther and the alliance with Wakanda as he realized that the country was alone. That sounds so ominous.
Still, some of the Avengers close to Wakanda should have been there. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) are some examples. Even Rhodey (Don Cheadle) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) could make the list.
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