With all of the excitement surroundingAvengers: Infinity Warcoming out next year, it’s been a little easy to forget that Marvel has some other irons in the fire for 2018. Most notably,Black Pantheris set to arrive in February and Marvel Studios has just released a brand new, full-length trailer for the movie, which is completely awesome. And, in a bit of an unexpected turn, the newBlack Panthertrailer seems to contain a very cool Easter egg for Disney’sThe Lion King.
Shortly after thesecond Black Punter trailerdebuted online, the UrbanNoize2 Twitter account posted some side-by-side shots of the newBlack Panthertrailer next to some shots from the animated classicThe Lion King. The resemblance is a bit uncanny and is either a very cool, deliberate homage from director Ryan Coogler, or a happy accident. It seems a little more like the former but, either way, it’s pretty cool.
The scene in question comes at a point in theBlack Panthertrailer where we seeChadwick Boseman’s T’Challahaving a spiritual experience in the jungles of Wakanda. He approaches a tree that features many panthers hanging out in it, quite possibly symbolic of the other men who have held the mantle ofBlack Pantherover the years before him. But the tree, and the mysterious and mystic color painting the sky, is very reminiscent of certain scenes inThe Lion King. Specifically, Rafiki’s ancient tree and Mufasa’s image in the sky above Pride Rock. But the whole landscape of the shot looks to be influenced byThe Lion King. It’d be tough to imagine this wasn’t at least a little deliberate.
In Marvel’sBlack Panther,T’Challa(Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take the throne as king, following the tragic death of his father, T’Chaka inCaptain America: Civil War. Things get complicated when an old enemy reappears, which puts T’Challa’s position as king of Wakanda and asBlack Pantherin jeopardy. Both Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Kalue (Andy Serkis) are going to be making T’Challa’s life difficult in the movie. He is drawn into a conflict that puts his home and the entire world at risk. T’Challa must call on some of his allies and fight with everything he’s got to saveWakandaand protect his people.
As it happens, Disney is currently working on a live-action version ofThe Lion King, which is set for release in summer 2019 and is being directed by Jon Favreau. While it’s doubtful that anyone at Disney had Ryan Coogler throw this reference inBlack Panther, it’s an interesting coincidence. You can check out the side-by-side comparison of the newBlack Panthertrailer andThe Lion King, courtesy of theUrbanNoize2 Twitter, for yourself below.Black Pantheris set to hit theaters on August 14, 2025.
