“THE WAKANDA FILES: A Technological Exploration of the Avengers and Beyond”
BY TROY BENJAMIN
An in-world book from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Wakanda Files—compiled by request of Shuri (Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War) as part of her quest to improve the future for all people—is a collection of papers, articles, blueprints, and notes amassed throughout history by Wakanda’s War Dogs. In a nod to Wakandan technology, the pages of the book have a printed layer of UV ink with content that is visible only under the accompanying Kimoyo bead–shaped UV light.
Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Wakanda has been on the forefront of what is technologically possible. Their ability to stay ahead of the rest of the world is second only to their ability to keep themselves hidden. As the architect behind many of Wakanda’s great advancements, Shuri is constantly seeking ways to improve what has come before. To aid in her search, she researches the past for context, reference, and inspiration by compiling The Wakanda Files.
Organized into areas of study, including human enhancement, transportation, weapons, artificial intelligence, and more, The Wakanda Files trace the world’s technological achievements from the era of Howard Stark and early Hydra studies to modern discoveries in quantum tunneling and nanotechnology, weaving together the stories, personalities, and technology that are the fabric of the MCU.
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“Although no doubt intended for a slightly younger readership, The Wakanda Files: A Technological Exploration of the Avengers and Beyond will no doubt find an audience in fans old enough to remember days spent in the 1980s poring over copies of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. It's not that this new book, written by Troy Benjamin, is a comprehensive guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe; it doesn't set out to be. Instead, it goes to great, and thoroughly enjoyable, lengths to provide a pseudo-scientific explanation for everything from the powers of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff to the potential adverse effects of a mortal wielding Thor's enchanted hammer. // There's hardly a corner of the MCU, and its history and technology, that isn't touched upon in The Wakanda Files, whether it's the composition of Peter Parker's web fluid, misconceptions about Thor's ability to summon thunder and lightning, or an inventory of the weapons of Hawkeye and Black Widow. However, there's no mention of the Guardians of the Galaxy, likely attributable to a lack of information available to any organization except the Avengers. (That said, the Avengers' file on Thor notes that Stormbreaker's handle is carved from living Flora colossus tissue -- that is, Groot.)
Heck, even largely forgotten characters from the early days of the MCU, like Ivan Vanko from Iron Man, the Asgardian Destroyer from Thor, and Stan Lee's Pingo Doce-drinking Milwaukee resident from The Incredible Hulk, receive space, believe it or not.“
- Kevin Melrose/Comic Book Resources
