8 little-known facts about Black Panther that make the film even more iconic

When Black Panther came out in 2018, the world kind of stopped for a minute; not because it was another Marvel movie, but because it felt different. It wasn’t just explosions and suits and quips; it was a movie that meant something, and you felt it walking out of the theatre.

It was this rare mix of blockbuster fun and something a lot deeper: cultural pride, history, imagination, all wrapped up in a superhero story that actually respected where it came from.

And while everyone remembers the action, the outfits, and that killer soundtrack, there’s a ton of stuff under the surface that most people missed (some of it small, some of it actually kind of mind-blowing), and all of it makes Black Panther even better once you know.

So buckle up, because here are 8 lesser-known Black Panther facts that will have you raising your arms and yelling “Wakanda Forever” all over again!

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8 little-known facts about Black Panther

1) The language is all real—clicks and everything

So first things first: no, the Wakandan language in Black Panther isn’t some made-up Marvel babble. It’s Xhosa, a real language spoken in parts of South Africa, and yes, it includes those iconic clicking sounds.

John Kani, who plays T’Chaka, grew up speaking it. He used it in the Civil War, and Chadwick Boseman, being the legend he was, didn’t just say, "Cool, I’ll fake it." Nope, he learned it. Properly.

And when studio folks tried to suggest changing it to something more "universal," Chadwick straight-up refused. He said if Wakanda was untouched by colonization, there was no reason for the king to sound British or American. Makes total sense, right?

What we got was a superhero who felt rooted in something real, not just written for the global market.

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2) Chadwick said no to the Hollywood accent playbook

This ties into the first point, but it deserves its own spotlight—Chadwick wasn’t just doing a voice, he was making a choice.

Think about it: most Hollywood movies with African characters go straight to the British accent. It’s kind of become a default, especially when filmmakers don’t want to risk “confusing” international viewers...but Boseman wasn’t having it.

He said, basically, “If we’re building a nation untouched by colonizers, why would the leader talk like a colonizer?” And honestly, that mindset shaped the entire vibe of Black Panther. Authenticity always wins, even when it would’ve been easier to just play along.

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3) The costumes weren’t just stylish, they were telling stories

Ruth E. Carter—who won the Oscar for costume design, by the way—didn’t just make people look cool. She went in deep, like researching dozens of African tribes deep.

Everything the Black Panther characters wore had a purpose. The Dora Milaje’s uniforms were inspired by the Maasai. Queen Ramonda’s crown was Zulu. The beads, the patterns, the fabrics—it was all pulled from real-world culture and reimagined through a futuristic lens.

And she didn’t just stop at the main cast; even the background characters were styled with intent. The world-building wasn’t just on the page; it was stitched into every outfit.

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4) Killmonger wasn’t just acting angry—he was channeling something real

You must remember Killmonger, well, how could you not? The guy had charisma, pain, purpose, and a vibe that was both terrifying and kind of relatable.

Michael B. Jordan didn’t just show up and deliver lines. He built Killmonger—took inspiration from revolutionaries like Malcolm X and Huey Newton.

He thought about what it would mean to grow up disconnected from your roots, watching the world burn, knowing your people had the power to stop it and didn’t. And that’s why so many people walked out of the theatre feeling weird about it. You weren’t supposed to like the villain, but you got him—and that was the point.

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5) They actually brought in scientists to help with Wakanda’s tech

This one was mind-blowing. You’d think most of the tech in Wakanda was just visual effects artists doing their thing, but Marvel took a different route—they brought in real scientists, engineers, and futurists to help design it all.

They asked stuff like, “If a country had access to vibranium and hundreds of years of unbroken innovation, what would their tech actually look like?” The result of that—Shuri’s lab, those magnetic trains, the Kimoyo beads—were all based on real theories and prototypes.

That’s why none of it feels like your usual sci-fi fluff. It feels like something someone’s already trying to build somewhere in a lab—probably MIT, or Ghana, or both!

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6) The Wakanda Forever salute is older than you think

You’ve seen it, you’ve probably done it, with arms crossed over your chest—boom, “Wakanda Forever!” But here’s the fun part: it wasn’t just a made-up thing.

The gesture is rooted in ancient Egyptian art, where pharaohs were often depicted with crossed arms, symbolizing strength and respect. Coogler and the team picked up on that and gave it a modern spin. Add in some pan-African pride and a healthy dose of superhero swagger, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown cultural moment.

It caught on fast with sports teams, celebrities, protests, you name it. The gesture went from fiction to a real-world symbol overnight.

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7) Zuri’s whole energy came from real African spiritual traditions

Forest Whitaker’s Zuri might not have had a ton of screen time in Black Panther, but man, he had presence. The purple robes, the quiet wisdom, the way he guided T’Challa during those herb-induced visions—it felt otherworldly.

Turns out, it wasn’t made up. His character was modeled on real African shamans and spiritual leaders, and the filmmakers worked with cultural advisors to build those scenes. The ancestral plane stuff wasn’t just trippy Marvel visuals—it was rooted in African beliefs about death, memory, and connection to one’s ancestors.

It added a layer of depth that most superhero movies don’t even try to touch.

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8) It was the first superhero movie to get a Best Picture Oscar Nomination

This one’s pretty well known, but still worth shouting from the rooftops. Black Panther became the first superhero movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. That’s huge, because before this, the Oscars treated superhero films like flashy distractions and not real “cinema.”

But Coogler and his team broke that wall down. Black Panther got seven nominations and took home three wins - for Costume Design, Production Design, and Original Score. It wasn’t just a hit, it was historic!

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Final thoughts

What makes Black Panther special isn’t just the action or the visuals—it’s the intention. Every part of it was thought through, researched, and rooted in something deeper than “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…”

And maybe that’s why it still hits, years later. It doesn’t just entertain—it respects, it uplifts, and it represents. Wakanda Forever!