🚨 Warning: There are MASSIVE — and I mean MASSIVE — spoilers ahead for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! 🚨
1. First, Shuri's AI that has a much bigger role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is voiced by Trevor Noah, and his name is Griot. In West African culture, a griot is a poet, musician, or storyteller who is often tasked with keeping tradition alive.
2. When Shuri is trying to re-create the heart-shaped herb in order to save T'Challa, she says, "Bast, time is running out." Bast is the panther goddess, who has been mentioned throughout the MCU. In particular, the story of Bast is told at the beginning of Black Panther.
3. If you look closely, you can spot T'Challa's spear and shield, which he used during the ceremonial battles in Black Panther, on the ground next to his coffin during his funeral.
4. When T'Challa's coffin is lifted into the sky, you can hear the "Ancestral Plane" theme music from Black Panther playing. In the original film, it was used after T'Challa took the heart-shaped herb.
5. Not something you missed, but Marvel Studios changed its logo to honor Chadwick Boseman after his death in 2020. While there are scenes from Black Panther and other MCU films in the opening, you can also spot some behind-the-scenes photos from Chadwick's time filming these movies.
6. When Anderson Cooper is reporting on CNN about Wakanda, you can spot a banner going along the bottom of the broadcast that talks about Scott Lang's new memoir and his book tour. In the first footage from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was screened at San Diego Comic-Con, we got to hear more about this book.
7. When Ramonda is speaking at the UN and mentions that an attack was made on a Wakandan outreach center, this is a nod to the end of Black Panther. T'Challa shared his hopes to build these outreach centers, starting in Oakland, where Killmonger grew up.
8. After the UN meeting, Okoye announces to Ramonda when they are approaching Wakanda again, which is a reference to a similar scene in Black Panther when she says the same thing to T'Challa and Nakia.
9. When Ramonda takes Shuri to the shores of Wakanda to talk about T'Challa on the anniversary of his death, you can see three elephants entering the water. You'll notice there appears to be an older elephant with two baby elephants, which probably symbolizes Ramonda, T'Challa, and Shuri.
10. When M'Baku makes his first appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, you can see that he's hilariously chewing on a carrot, which is likely a nod to his line about being a vegetarian from Black Panther.
11. We come to find out that Riri Williams is currently attending MIT, which is where she built the vibranium detection machine. Not only is this a nod to her comic book backstory, but it's worth noting that at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, MJ and Ned find out they're also going to attend MIT. Tony Stark notably studied at MIT as well.
12. When Okoye spots Riri's amazing red car, she refers to it as a "hunk of junk," which is likely a reference to Star Wars: A New Hope, when Luke calls the Millennium Falcon a piece of junk as well. The MCU has referenced Star Wars several times over the years.
13. Of course, Riri's first flight in her Ironheart suit is reminiscent of Tony Stark's first flight in his Iron Man suit from Iron Man. Like with Tony, Riri learns there are limitations to the suit when she tries to shoot down a drone and flies too high with not enough oxygen.
14. When Namor explains his origins to Shuri, he mentions the word "mutant." This is huge if you're a longtime MCU fan, because before the Disney/20th Century merger, the MCU could not introduce mutants. This is one of many hints the MCU has given us in recent projects — most notably, Ms. Marvel made Kamala a mutant — that the X-Men could be making an appearance soon.
15. The name the Tolokans give Namor is K'uk'ulkan. In real life, K'uk'ulkan is the name of a Mesoamerican serpent deity who was worshiped by the Yucatec Mayans. The name translates to "feathered serpent," which relates to the wings Namor has on his ankles.
16. After Okoye is stripped of her rank within the Dora Milaje, you'll notice for the rest of the film Ayo is wearing the gold armor that Okoye usually wore, symbolizing that Ayo is now the general.
17. When Ramonda goes to Haiti to ask for Nakia's help, one of the children who brings Ramonda to Nakia is actually Toussaint, Nakia and T'Challa's son, who we first meet in the mid-credits scene at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
18. When CNN is later reporting on Queen Ramonda's tragic death, you can see another breaking news item on the screen that involves New Asgard, aka the Asgardians' new home that we saw in Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder.
19. When Shuri believes she is finally able to re-create the heart-shaped herb, Nakia mentions how this discovery will be the best thing since Bashenga. Notably, Bashenga was the first king of Wakanda and the first Black Panther. There's also a Mt. Bashenga, where all the vibranium is stored in Wakanda.
20. When M'Baku attempts to talk to Shuri following Ramonda's death, she asks him if now he's willing to "hear from a child who scoffs at tradition." This is a nod to M'Baku's line from Black Panther, where he mentions Shuri and her technology.
21. Okoye and Aneka's brand-new suits that Shuri designs are a nod to the Midnight Angels from the Marvel Comics. In the comics, the Midnight Angels consist of Dora Milaje's best warriors, and they often wear similar blue suits.
22. While fighting with Shuri, you can hear Namor say "imperious rex," which is a nod to the comics. In the Marvel comics, Namor uses this catchphrase, which translates to "emperor king."
23. When Shuri decides to spare Namor, she mentions how they shouldn't let vengeance consume them, which is similar to what T'Challa said to Zemo when he spared his life in Captain America: Civil War.
24. When Ross is sprung from the prison transport vehicle, you can see the license plate reads "CB112976," which is a reference to Chadwick Boseman, who was born on Nov. 29, 1976.
25. And finally, Nakia and T'Challa's son Toussaint is likely named after the famous Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, who helped fight for Haiti's independence from France. Also, T'Challa does have a son in the Marvel Comics with Storm from the X-Men.
