Concept art for EA's canceled sudden studio closure this week. Few details were known about the game, but leaks and rumors help to paint a better picture on what the virtual take on Wakanda might have looked like.
As reported by ComicBook, X notfunEman posted apparent concept art from the game and noted that the Skrulls would have appeared in it. notfunEman's quote Tweet goes into more detail, showcasing art of a Skrull interrupting ritual combat between T'Challa and his son. While the sharing this information isn't a regular source of leaks, these appear to come from alleged survey material sent out under a non-disclosure agreement.
Black Panther Game Would've Featured Skrulls As Antagonists
Memorable Foes From The Comics
A Black Panther video game would have no shortage of opportunities for antagonists, but this leak indicates that Skrulls may have served as the primary villains. While Skrulls can convincingly disguise themselves, the rough storyboard that notfunEman showcases quite clearly depicts their typical form and mentions a Skrull ship descending to interrupt the scene.
In the 2008 "Secret Invasion" comic storyline, Skrulls did infiltrate Wakanda, so the game might have taken inspiration from this source. Other leaked concept art focuses on the Wakanda setting, and Skrulls could be a way to keep the focus on Wakanda dealing with internal threats rather than Black Panther dealing with challenges outside of the city bounds.
Our Take: Given Their Prominence In The MCU, Skrulls In Black Panther Makes Sense
An Indirect Connection To The Juggernaut Franchise
More than the 2008 comic run, the MCU's inclusion of the Skrulls in recent years seems like an obvious reason for a Black Panther game to follow suit. While their role in Captain Marvel was nuanced, the Skrulls have served as a more directly antagonistic force in some material since, including Secret Invasion Disney+ show inspired by and named after the comic run. We may never get to know just how the Black Panther game's take on the Skrulls would have compared to the MCU's, but the snippets of leaked information currently available do provide something interesting to think about.
Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra’s Delay Is Just In Time For An Incredible Captain America Comics Milestone
Captain America has made waves in the comics world for decades, and his major video game could tie in nicely to a huge anniversary.
With the MCU now pivoting toward a showdown with Doctor Doom, the current live-service shooter Marvel Rivals could get a nice boost of attention when the antagonist starts taking center stage in-game, and other Marvel games may continue to set up their own loose connections. It's nice that the newer video games aren't direct MCU tie-ins, but EA's Black Panther could have been a good example of how fun remixing shared material can be.
Sources: ComicBook, notfunEman/X
Black Panther
- Created by
- Ryan Coogler
- First Film
- Black Panther
- Latest Film
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Cast
- Martin Freeman, Tenoch Huerta Mejía
- Movie(s)
- Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Character(s)
- Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, Nakia, Ramonda, M'Baku, Erik Killmonger, Namor
