Eyes of Wakanda showrunner Todd Harris recently opened up about why the upcoming Black Panther prequel series needed to be told through animation and not live-action TV.
What is Eyes of Wakanda about?
Announced in December 2023, Eyes of Wakanda is a four-episode animated series following the Hatut Zaraze, brave Wakandan warriors who travel across the globe completing dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from Wakanda’s enemies. Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Television and Marvel Animation, described the Hatut Zaraze as “Wakanda’s CIA.”
He explained, “They often have to venture out to regain stolen Vibranium, but they also have to keep secrets well-hidden so that Wakanda can ward off invaders and stay safe. The Hatut Zaraze are challenged in different ways to stay loyal to Wakanda as they discover the rest of the world around them.”
In a recent preview of Marvel Animation‘s 2025 slate, Harris explained that the ambitious nature of Eyes of Wakanda made the medium of animation the only feasible way to bring its story to life. “Animation is the ultimate equalizer of locations,” he explained. “Egypt costs just as much as New York City, and the moon costs just as much as Ohio. Filming around the globe has inherent limitations that we just don’t have in animation. That freedom allowed us to reimagine an idealized version of an era that’s unaffected by human history.”
Unlike Marvel Animation’s other series — X-Men ’97, What If…?, and the upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Marvel Zombies — Eyes of Wakanda is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, taking place on the sacred timeline.
“Eyes of Wakanda, more than any other show, fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity,” revealed Winderbaum in March 2024. “It’s about Wakandan history and mythology, and it’s really cool. It looks amazing. And it feels like, ‘Okay I’m getting an animated look into the MCU.’”
Eyes of Wakanda features the voices of Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Patricia Belcher, Larry Herron, Adam Gold, Lynn Whitfield, Jacques Colimon, Jona Xiao, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Gary Anthony Williams, Zeke Alton, Steve Toussaint, and Anika Noni Rose.
Eyes of Wakanda premieres on Disney+ on August 6, 2025, as part of Phase 5 of the MCU.
(Source: The Walt Disney Company)