Eyes of Wakanda Series Review

Introducing audiences to the nation of Wakanda in 2018’s Black Panther and 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the nation feels like a different world in and of itself, and one full of potential in terms of stories and storytelling as the aforementioned films only scratch the surface of what is possible. Looking to leverage all that promise, Eyes of Wakanda uses the medium of animation to tell more stories that tap into the history of the nation to expand on its lore and how it all plays a role in creating the Wakanda we know today. A short series, offering only 4 roughly 30-minute episodes, the series is yet again a glimpse of the true potential of stories that could be told (of course more can be told if this first run were to be successful). Predating the events of Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, this new series puts Wakanda itself front and center as it tells the story of the ‘War Dogs,’ a secret unit (akin to the CIA) that operate beyond the ‘Dora Milaje,’ working in the outside world to protect Wakandan secrets and interests.

A technologically advanced but very much still an isolationist nation operating in the shadows long before the rest of the world, their primary concern was their weapons and technology falling in the wrong hands but that was what has been happening. With their weapons and technology consistently being located in the hands of an increasing amounts of foreign entities and political dissidents, though never quite explaining how that came to be, War Dog agents were tasked to travel to the outside world and operate undercover to retrieve Wakandan artifacts and return them back to Wakanda. Be it weapons or technology, them being in the wrong hands threatened to create more harm than good, threatening to destabilize people and countries, and upset the world order. Taking place over time, the series followed operatives as they worked around the world and points in history on recovery missions. Instead of focusing on one character or operative, each episode let a different operative take the helm, offering different perspectives based on age and experience, made for different episodes in terms of story and tone. While their formulas are essentially the same, the way they go about it serves up enough variety to make it not feel like watching the same thing over and over.

Without giving anything away, interacting with different time periods and at times intersecting with other aspects of the MCU, its four episodes are compelling to watch thanks to its likeable leads and solid writing. Seeing each work their respective case was fun to watch, despite the narrative and time constraints of each episode. Merely serving as a means to and end (i.e. getting the weapon or artifact back to Wakanda), they made the journey worthwhile, leading to action-packed third acts where each character brought their own special set of skills to the table, as each faced an adversary that stood between them and their objective. Not standalone episodes, all four are tied together by a specific narrative that works in the context of the overall story, whether or not in leads to anything in the future remains to be seen but it did not leave without one more surprise.

Eyes of Wakanda sees Marvel Animation reach new heights in terms of animation. Much in the vein of What If?, the series presents a step up in a lot of ways. Bursting at the seams with color and detail, the series follows its live action counterparts in continuing to bring even more facets of Wakanda to life, taking advantage of the freedom of animation as a storytelling tool. Meanwhile, the other main downside of only having four episodes is the inevitable feeling of wanting more as the series has provided ample proof of concept. Similarly, the animation shows great range in creating four different stories depicting four different time periods, all with a singular Wakandan flare. The action is also well-animated and fun to watch, bringing something different to the table as its four protagonists go about their business in their own way. In the end, tying it all together is the stellar voice cast, featuring the likes of Cress Williams, Anika Noni Rose, Lynn Whitfield, and Steve Toussaint just to name a few.

To sum things up, Eyes of Wakanda may be a small sample size, but is easily one of the best Marvel Animation projects thus far, putting Wakanda front and center and proving that there are seemingly endless stories to tell.

still courtesy of Marvel

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.