Why The Avengers Go To Wakanda In Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther in Infinity War

Audiences recently took their first full trip to the secret African nation of Wakanda in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther -- and box office results prove that most loved it. We have seen, in the latest trailers for the upcoming blockbuster ensemble Avengers: Infinity War, that Wakanda will serve as a backdrop for a substantial battle between Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his armies, and the Avengers and THEIR army. So, when we were lucky enough to visit the Atlanta set of Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, we asked Chadwick Boseman why the Marvel movie set up shop there, and he explained:

You have a world problem with Thanos, a problem that affects everyone in the world. So Wakanda is on the world stage, and we're obviously advanced in a way where we can help with the situation, so that is all that's happening here.

It was interesting to go back and read over all of the information that we collected on the set of Avengers: Infinity War, because when we made the trip last year, Marvel had not yet unleashed either Thor: Ragnarok or Black Panther. Because of this, we didn't know the outcome of the Wakandan border debate. But now we know that Wakanda's no longer a secret, as T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) have brought the tech of the nation to the world at large.

But Chadwick Boseman also liked the fact that heroes like Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) had to make the trip to Africa to appeal to Black Panther on his own turf, and his own terms. We saw footage of Black Panther and Captain America leading their combined forces into battle, and Boseman elaborated for us:

I think what is good is that in this situation, you're seeing [the Avengers] in my world. They're in my world, so it's interesting to have them enter our space, which is not something that happens all of the time. I think it's important for us to give the flavor of Wakanda, and they're really adjusting to our space, so that will be part of the fun of the movie. And the Guardians entering it... obviously, there is a clash. All of that is conflict, but it's not conflict between us necessarily, so, but it is an emotional, psychological, social conflict.

The Guardians of the Galaxy in Wakanda? We pressed for details on that, but were cut off at the pass. Perhaps that will happen in the next trailer. For now, let's just dive back into the most recent Avengers: Infinity War trailer to see the heroes in action.

Avengers: Infinity War will be in theaters on April 27. We will have PLENTY more from the set in the days and weeks to come. Bookmark our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide to stay up to date on all of the latest MCU happenings.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.