Come on Disney, you need to do a better job at promoting. Despite moving up the release date a few days, Eyes of Wakanda seemed to slip through the cracks. The animated series was released on August 1st. It provides Marvel fans more background on the Black Panther mythology. Mainly focusing on the Hatut Zaraze, the Wakandan warriors that go out into the world on dangerous missions. In only four episodes, this is a fun addition to a part of the Marvel universe that needs more attention.

Before diving into the review on this series, I was happy to see that two comic writers wrote episodes for this. X-Force writer Geoffrey Throne and Fatman Beyond Co-Host, Marc Bernardin wrote a script for each episode. Bernardin recently worked on the comic adaptation of Anansi Boys and a Mace Windu miniseries. So it seemed like a perfect fit for this series.

The first episode of Eyes of Wakanda is titled “Into the Lion’s Den” which takes place in 1260 BC. In this episode a former Dora Milaje named Noni is sent on a mission to capture a rogue agent named Nkati. Nkati has kidnapped men and women and forced them into a cult using the technology of Wakanda to become a god. Noni must fight through the cult to get to Nkati and save Wakanda’s technology. The second episode “Legends and Lies” was something I did not know I wanted in the Marvel universe. B’Kai is a Hatut Zaraze that is operating as a spy in Troy in 1200 BC. B’Kai befriends Achilles during the battle of Troy, only to be on his own mission to save a Wakandan artifact. These first two episodes have zero references to the extended Marvel Universe.

The next two episodes do play into the Marvel universe. Episode 3 “Lost and Found” brings in Iron Fist since the failed Netflix series, however it’s not Danny Rand. It’s a new character that helms the mantle in 1400 AD. This Iron Fist fights against Basha, a cocky Hatut Zaraze that is attracted to them. The final episode “The Last Panther” is about a time traveling Black Panther that tries to stop a Wakandan prince and Hatut Zaraze operaitve in 1896 AD.

Overall, the show is nothing special but it’s a lot of fun. The animation is fantastic and exploring different times of history and mythology adds things we have never seen in the Marvel Universe. Makes me want to see more of Marvel exploring different eras. Eyes of Wakanda and The Fantastic Four: First Steps both showcase the creative choices that could be done by exploring different time peroids. The series had great voice acting, some characters are better than others. I would say the final two episodes are the strongest from a voice acting standpoint.

I kow some people will skip past this, but it’s a fun addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new Iron Fist was one of my favorite characters in the series as she provides a great counter to the Wakandans. It was my favorite episode with the best action and most humor throughout the series. There has been some that have called the show boring, which I’ll admit the first episode is pretty slow. If one is looking for a Marvel show that continues on where Wakanda Forever left off, they will be dissapointed. This is very much like Friendly Neighborhood Spider–Man; it’s not the characters on the big screen but it’s a different take on the characters. Truthfully, it’s just a good time that hopefully gets another season or a chance to revist some of the characters.