Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Technology Design

“[Perception’s] hard work has sparked excitement and curiosity, guiding our characters across land and sea with the power of integrated Vibranium technology.”

– Marvel Studios

Light-based technology is a much higher fidelity, expanding the limits that Vibranium Sand held in the first film. This allowed us to build more detailed and intricate designs that displayed the complexity and sophistication of the wide range of Wakandan technology.

One aspect we heavily researched was how to potentially give screens dimension. Screens are typically flat, but we studied how a screen could be perceived as a container. From the front, the information would be perfectly visible, but how would that information be seen if the viewer was standing to the side of the screen. Since screens are so prominent throughout this film, we researched different ways for these screens to operate.

To develop the operations of this screen, our team was sent footage of Letitia Wright interacting with the screens and “writing” on them using a pen. We studied her gestures and interpreted what they meant through fine pen tracking.

After examining her movements, we constructed an idea for the screen where it would translate Shuri’s writing into a sturdier, concrete text, formula or drawing. As Shuri writes on this board, her AI, Griot, would digest what she is writing, solidify it, change it and add data to it.

The screens were also very gesture based, stemming from Letitia Wright’s animated hand movements during filming. Data and information can be expanded upon, moved or thrown way by Shuri pushing, swiping or spinning her hands.

Our team designed the supporting UI widgets that appear around the suit figure, sharing critical analysis and information.

Because of how important the strand was to the plot, our team researched how DNA is typically represented and built. We studied how DNA is modified and the science behind those modifications. From there, we experimented with how a sample DNA strand could fit into this world and how the different parts of the strand could be manipulated.

Our team conceptualized a large scale, light based DNA strand made up of spheres. These spheres represent the different chemical bases that form DNA. The spheres can be grabbed and moved around, fitting in the palm of someone’s hand to easy tests and experiments. This allowed for the perfect depiction of DNA influence and modification.

To represent the successes and failures of DNA modification, our team came up with the concept that the spheres could change color based on their reaction to the alteration. To indicate failure, the spheres would morph into shades of red.

To indicate a success, the spheres would turn green. This would help to visually communicate the underlying complex data and calculations that Shuri is performing in a simplified and concise manner.

To figure out where this put Griot on a scale of intelligence, sentience, influence on his surroundings and personality, we created a graph that represented each of these traits. On this graph, we compared other AI in film and in the real world, such as Siri, Ultron and Wall-E to see where Griot falls. This helped us figure out a good look for him as well as how he should be portrayed.

Our final design puts the map in the center of Griot’s main circle. This allows Griot to naturally zoom in on the map and pinpoint location destinations of items or people. The call feature is also smaller and dedicated to the edges of Griot’s circle, highlighting the map as the more prominent feature.

We went through several versions of Riri’s HUD to nail down what her design language should be. She is a student, an engineer and a programmer, but she is not a designer. We experimented with what the Ironheart HUD would look like if she bought a design kit and skinned her HUD that she was developing. We built another iteration that tested if she was building it to look similar and as information-dense as Iron Man’s HUD, but with her own flare on it. We even constructed an 8-bit design as one of our concepts.

Our final design landed close to Iron Man’s HUD but with a significant presence of Riri’s personality. It still had an 8-bit flare to show her youth and how different she is than Iron Man. To show off her personality, we included some fun elements within the UI such as a skull and cross bones when she’s targeting an enemy. Another way to communicate her personality was by making the cool scheme black, white and red for the Chicago Bulls.

These HUDs also include a design language that is more in line with Shuri’s sphere since she was the architect who built them. The color scheme is white, blue and yellow, which match the main colors of the exterior of the Midnight Angels suits.

The HUD is simple, only providing the necessary information through the UI. This HUD can also be seen from the exterior of the helmet.

This wrist UI is used by several characters throughout the film, such as Okoye, Shuri and Nakia. Each of these characters uses the wrist UI for a unique and specialized purpose. Okoye uses her beads and the UI to read the heart rate and medical status of Shuri after she is knocked out.

Shuri utilizes her beads to scan the Vibranium fibers of a bracelet to help test the success rate of creating a new heart-shaped herb.

Nakia’s beads are used to track Shuri’s Kimoyo Beads, which then turns into a map that leads her to the ocean.

We originally conceptualized Kimoyo Beads in Black Panther to be one of the most versatile piece of technology that Wakanda has. Showcasing the Kimoyo Beads now being used for three different purposes, all stemming from the hologram function, further enforces the technological advancement of Wakanda and the versatility of the Kimoyo Beads.

A secondary element that aids in the flight of this ship is the HUD of the Royal Talon. Inspiring the style of HUD of Shuri’s ship later in the film, orange, light-based UI helps guide the ship through data and metrics. This UI is mainly orange, further engaging with the warmth of Wakanda tones seen throughout the UI of the film.

To do this, our team turned to a dot-based information system, representing the Talokan soldiers with blue dots and Wakandan’s with green dots. This shows where each soldier is, whether that is on the ship or in the ocean.

We also utilized the color red to display especially critical information, including the power outages and the engine failure. These three elements combined show the ship’s failures, the amount of soldiers and their placements.

These smart glass windows help Ramonda virtually pilot a fleet of ships to help Wakandans escape and fight Namor.

These screens are entirely gesture based, operated by raising, turning and moving hands. The smart glass only offers Ramonda necessary information, since she does not need the detailed UI bits that Shuri needs while doing her calculations.

Since the cube is very small and has to be carried in a bag or on someone’s person, we had to develop ways to fit an entire lake’s worth of water into this cube. We experimented with water compression, air distortion and condensing moisture from the air. We eventually developed a bomb where the water almost appears somewhat solid inside of a glass bomb. When the bomb activates, the water decompresses and explodes out, instantly flooding an area.

However, we took our locators a step further by utilizing Mayan symbols when the Talokan were involved. Instead of translating from Wakandan to English, these locators would translate from Mayan symbols into English. To do this, we worked with Dr. Gerardo Aldana, who is a Professor of the Mayan Language. We spoke with Dr. Aldana and he explained how the language works and what the symbols mean so we could understand it. We provided him the locations, and he helped write the locators out in Mayan symbols. Then we took that and animated them and translated them into English.

Culture and representation are so important, and we wanted each of these locators to be accurate to the Mayan language and history. They are not random symbols, but rather, they hold great significance and meaning. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever celebrates a whole new culture, and we wanted to represent them, as well as the Wakandans, through our locators.

Conceptualizing and designing the technology of Wakanda for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was an incredible 2 year collaboration between our team at Perception and the team at Marvel Studios. It was a creative challenge to take all of the technology we crafted for Black Panther and elevate it to new heights in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Our team enjoyed revisiting the culture and the world of Wakanda in our tech design and in the end title sequence that we crafted to honor Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa. You can learn more about how we filmed and designed the end title sequence for this film in our Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Title Sequence case study.