I haven’t been the biggest fan of previous animated MCU entries. In fact, I wasn’t able to get past two episodes of What If…? There was something about the art style/animation that I detested and thought was just overall ugly to look at. So, when it was announced that another animated anthology set in the MCU was in development, my expectations were rock bottom. And then in comes Eyes of Wakanda, a four-part miniseries created by Todd Harris with executive producer Ryan Coogler. When I saw Coogler’s name attached, my interest was piqued, but I had the thought in the back of my mind that I would still detest the animation. But now all of the episodes are out in the wild, maybe I judged this book by its cover a little too quickly.
Eyes of Wakanda is an anthology series that follows various Wakandan agents known as War Dogs as they set out to recover Wakandan artifacts from the outside world. The series visits major historical events like the Battle of Troy and the Italo-Ethiopian War alongside time periods like the 1400s and 1260BC. Each episode focuses on one of these time periods and follows the story of a specific War Dog. Each one will encounter adversity in their mission, but if they can overcome that adversity, they will be remembered through the ages as legends.
I rather enjoyed these four short stories, more than I thought I would anyway. In my recent review of Predator: Killer of Killers (another anthology project), I mentioned how I think anthology projects work better as a series and not a film. Eyes of Wakanda proved that point because I was far more engaged in these stories than anything in Predator. The first two episodes kept me interested, but I wouldn’t say they were anything too special (the ending of Episode 2 was great though).However, I really enjoyed episodes 3 and 4. Episode 3 had a bit of a lighter vibe while having some interesting commentary on how Wakanda operates (and it also introduced a new Iron Fist). And Episode 4 had some reveals that genuinely surprised me and recontextualised not only the series, but the first Black Panther film as well. I would’ve liked there to be more than four episodes so we could expand on some of the characters more, but I was very much satisfied with what we got.
Being an anthology, there is a pretty big cast of characters in this series, and they all do a pretty good job. Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Patricia Belcher, Larry Herron, Adam Gold, Zeke Alton, Steve Toussaint, and Anika Noni Rose deliver solid performances in their respective episodes. And even though each brought a unique vibe to their characters, I believed they were all still from Wakanda (outside of just being told). While interesting, I did find some of their arcs a bit abrupt, but that’s the nature of an anthology. I wouldn’t be upset if they were able to reprise these roles in one way or another in future MCU projects.
My favourite performances are found in the third episode, titled “Lost and Found”. Jacques Colimon, as the War Dog Basha, was a nice change of pace for this series, as he brought a suave, borderline gaslighty personality that I couldn’t help but enjoy. I especially loved his interactions with Jorani/Iron Fist, portrayed by Jona Xiao. Their banter was one of the main reasons Episode 3 was my favourite; it was just so good. If any of the characters in this series get brought back or have their stories continued, these are the characters I’d choose.
As I mentioned previously, the aspect I was most concerned about going into this series was the animation/art style. I’m very happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised because this is the best animated MCU project I have seen. I did think that some of the character models looked a bit off at the beginning, but that was most likely just because it was new. But what captivated me from the get-go were the backgrounds and how fantastic they looked. Every frame was a painting with imagery I would not be surprised to see in an art gallery. This is consistent throughout every episode, and I was blown away each time the show visited a new location.
What wasn’t as consistent were the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, none of them were bad, but a lot of them were underwhelming. The fights in the first episode felt a little sluggish, even if the visuals were creative. The second episode had a bit more emotional weight, but the same sluggish problem persisted. But then Episode 3 happened, and it had the best animation of the series. Specifically, the fight between Basha and Iron Fist that takes place throughout the War Dogs headquarters. It was a feast for the eyes, and I wish there were more like it in the other episodes. I would talk more about Episode 4, but that would be hard to do without spoilers, and trust me, you want to go in as blind as possible.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Eyes of Wakanda. The stories and characters are pretty good considering the limited time frame, with the second half being much stronger than the first. And while I was a little apprehensive about the animation, it ended up being relatively solid with a few moments that I was impressed by. If you’re like me and disliked What If…?, or just want more stories revolving around Wakanda, check out Eyes of Wakanda. Just make sure you go into Episode 4 blind, and your mind will be blown.
Have you seen Eyes of Wakanda? What did you think? Is it better than What If…? Let us know in the comments where we can talk all things Marvel.
