Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A battle cry, a greeting and a pledge in two words, made to be shouted by a crowd. It gave an invented nation an identity the moment audiences heard it, and the crossed-arms salute walked out of the cinema onto sports fields, red carpets and playgrounds. After Chadwick Boseman's death in 2020 it became a tribute to him, a mural of him giving the salute went up at Disneyland, and the 2022 sequel took the cry as its title.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Black PantherShow the scene
In Black Panther (2018), T'Challa becomes king of Wakanda, a hidden and technologically advanced African nation, after his father's death. His cousin Killmonger then wins the throne in ritual combat and plans to ship Wakandan weapons to revolutionaries around the world. T'Challa, left for dead, is healed and returns to fight him, backed by the Dora Milaje, the Jabari and Shuri's technology. "Wakanda forever!" is the nation's rallying cry, paired with a crossed-arms salute. After the film's release, athletes and celebrities began throwing up the salute after victories.
Sources (3)
- Wikipedia: Black Panther (film)Plot sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Features of the Marvel Cinematic UniverseWakanda sectionReference checked
- Wikiquote: LeBron Jamessearch-result snippetReference checked
Context reviewed