What Happened To W’Kabi After Black Panther

Black Panther introduced some of the most notable citizens of Wakanda, among those W’Kabi, but what happened to him after the events of the movie? The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga introduced a variety of superheroes, both well-known characters and others that hadn’t had enough exposure. One of the heroes that arrived to make history was T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther, who was introduced in Captain America: Civil War and later got his solo movie, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman.

Black Panther followed T’Challa after the events of Civil War, where his father, King T’Chaka, was killed when a conference in Vienna was bombed. The movie then focused on T’Challa becoming king of Wakanda and thus the new Black Panther, but he wasn’t the only one who could inherit the throne, and he came across with Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a family-related enemy who threatened to begin a global revolution by becoming king and abandoning Wakanda’s isolationist policies. Black Panther introduced other Wakanda residents, both allies and enemies of T’Challa, among those W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), who went from being T’Challa’s best friend to siding with Killmonger.

W’Kabi was also head of security for the Border Tribe and Okoye’s husband, but after losing faith in T’Chaka and T’Challa due to their constant failures to capture Ulysses Klaue, the man who killed his parents, he changed sides and supported Killmonger. The latter arrived in Wakanda with Klaue’s corpse and proved that he was the son of Prince N’Jobu and thus the legitimate heir to the throne. Killmonger challenged T’Challa and won, and his ideas appealed to W’Kabi. In the end, he was confronted by Okoye mid-battle, who told him she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him as she would do anything for Wakanda, and so W’Kabi finally surrendered. Okoye returned in Avengers: Infinity War and survived the snap, so she continued working alongside the surviving heroes in Avengers: Endgame, but W’Kabi never showed up – however, Okoye gave a slight hint of where he might be.

In Avengers: Infinity War, while discussing the upcoming war with Thanos, T’Challa asked Okoye what Wakandan troops were available, among those the Border Tribe. Okoye replied with “what’s left of them”, implying that most of them were imprisoned following the events of Black Panther, including their leader, W’Kabi. Worse than betraying his best friend, he betrayed his king and Wakanda by siding with Killmonger and supporting his ideas, which weren’t exactly for Wakanda’s benefit, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he spent Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in a prison. However, it’s unknown if he survived the snap, and if he did, what happened to him under the reign of whoever ruled Wakanda between Infinity War and Endgame.

With Black Panther 2 confirmed to happen as part of the MCU’s upcoming phases, and Okoye returning for it, it’s possible that W’Kabi will be back in some capacity – or, at least, the movie will properly explain where he has been. W’Kabi and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) are two characters from Black Panther that seem to have been forgotten, but Marvel might have plans for them in the upcoming phases of the MCU.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3269 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler