Eyes of Wakanda · Season 1 · Episode 2
Legends and Lies
Hello and welcome, fellow Marvel fans, to the
Snark Industries podcast. I'm John. And I'm Remy.
And we invite you to join us as we work our way
through every Marvel TV show, movie, and crossover.
Meaning if there's a Marvel character on screen,
it's fair game. All categorized in the temporal
order of their setting. By the time we're done,
we'll have built a complete start -to -finish
timeline of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To accomplish this goal and to have a bit of
fun along the way, each episode will be split
into two parts, a watch party and a deep dive.
If you're hearing this, you found one of our
watch parties. This is where we sit down with
you and experience a piece of Marvel media together
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and wait for the three -tone countdown. On the
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each and every one of you for joining us on this
incredible journey. We're not affiliated with
Marvel in any way, shape, or form. We're just
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everyone in a new and exciting way. So, sit back,
relax, and enjoy this episode of Stark Industries.
I like that music. Hey. That's good. It's thematic,
one might say. One might. So this takes place,
what, 60 years later? I think is what our timeline
says. It does indeed. From the last one. Yeah,
okay. Yep. This is set. Well, we'll see. Yeah.
Oh, we're doing Troy here? Yeah, they give it
away pretty fast. All right, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
That's badass. Yeah, yeah. Continuing the theme
that we had from before. Yeah. All right, they
got the lady archers up there. A DSCS aka Verso
from Claire Obscure. Dude, that was such a good
game. Dude, this is great. I had no idea this
was Troy. That's exciting. I love this story.
Well, it's brutal, but... But you can't guess
who that is. Achilles. He's got to watch out
for those arrows. Yeah, just don't turn your
back on the arrows, right? Keep your face in
front of the arrows and they won't hit your foot.
They wouldn't have had to use that horse if they
had Gronned to knock down doors. That's a good
call out. Gronned. Man, that's one of those things,
those historical things that are so... Like the
hot oil dumping them. Dude, it's so messed up.
I would not be signing up for knocking down the
door duty if I were to be a... I don't think
in this time you really signed up for anything.
Not to go back to our conversation from last
time, but... I don't see any bangles, so you
think about that however you want to. That's
fair. Man's got like the opposite of a farmer's
tan. You see that? Yeah. Okay, so I think that's
our Wakandan. I mean. What makes you think that?
Don't like to assume, but there's a certain pattern
I'm noticing. Could be, could be. It's safe to
assume when the accent matches. Oh, yeah. And
he's got purpley tech is the thing to do. Yeah.
Good call out. It's happening. You should tell
her to get a massage. Yeah. Who needs it? Rub
my shoulders. I mean, I'm here for that energy,
to be fair. Wakanda. Love it. Love it. Dude,
I'm stoked. I had no idea. Yeah. They threw us
a little story before. Yeah, right. The credits
this time. Yeah. When they mix it up and make
me feel like I'm losing my mind because I did
think that for a moment. Keep you on your toes,
man. yeah they forgo credits here who cares who
made this stuff anyway you know I should have
been paying more attention so this is this is
very much specific to this episode okay cool
or at least that scene was so this might be from
the next or later in this episode yeah so the
okay I'm betting we're seeing scenes from all
four episodes here I wasn't paying enough attention
last time. Well, you're learning as you go. That's
right. That's right. And as long as you're learning,
that's all that really matters. I do love that
the last name of the person that the what is
that? The executive producer was a last name
Fang. That's kind of perfect. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Guys, this is my calling. Is that? What's his
nugget? The one that stupidly got himself killed
in the movie Troy? His nephew? Patrickless. Ah,
there it is. Thank you. I love that movie, man.
Dude, that is such a good movie. The way that
dude got knocked over with that gal, the look
on her face before she dropped was pretty damn
funny. Oh, man, that guy's punching guys in armor.
Yeah, he is. He's got them Wakandan fists. He
don't care. He's like a honey badger. That's
good for enemy troops and for the ladies. Maybe
that's Doomfist. Early days. Oh, man. Yeah. You're
right. You figured it out. Crack the code. Doomfist
is a Marvel character. You heard it here first.
Damn it, Delta Hades. It's like, but I don't
want to. Oh, they blew the horn, even though
we took this wall up here. Oh. That's what that
guy gets for fucking questioning the official
story. Damn. See, that wouldn't work with a bullet.
Just go right on through. All these archers,
they need to learn something from the sheet area
from episode one. Dude, for real. Hang some sheets
places. This won't be a problem. They just left
their climbing stuff. Don't just stand there,
man. You got archers shooting at you. Fool. Oh,
he's such a badass. I know. We have the dramatic
irony of knowing what's up with that heel, too.
Got him. I mean, everyone needs a good scream
into the void sometimes. I've always said that.
You know, it does feel good sometimes. What?
What? This guy's cheating. I want me one of them.
A little spray canister of back to full health.
Oh, that's beautiful. I love the art in this
show. Really, really beautiful. Yeah, it is.
It is really well done. It is really well done.
I guess throwing things. He's very okay with
wasting just whatever. He threw that sword up
the wall and I was throwing those things into
the fire. Whatever, Achilles. Just out here wasting.
God, that really is beautiful. Dude, I want to
visit Troy someday. Is it still there? I'm not
entirely sure. I think some of it. Well, if you
go, you have to stand outside the big wall and
yell Hector over and over again. Or it doesn't
count. Oh, obviously. Right. That is one of the
best scenes. Oh, man. Oh, yeah. And nothing else.
This makes me want to watch that, which is something.
Dude, right? Hey, it's got the Hulk in it. Or
one of them. That's right. He is the titular
Hector. Well, not titular, but what we're talking
about. We'll get there. And I'm sure we'll reference
this again at that point. It's also got Striker
and Sabretooth from the X -Men franchise. Dude.
Oh, barbarian. Calm down. That sounded like a
derogatory term. Look there in the back. Jesus
is back again. He does not look Trojan to me.
I mean, from what we saw. Oh, look, there's the
one guy. He's covered up. See, there he is. Oh,
that's a bandage. I thought that was wearing
a robe. I was really like, I was like, man, even
his outfit's different. He does have Owen Wilson
right behind him, though. Yeah. Wow. Needs a
little bit of a broken nose, but. That's not
Owen Wilson. That's Mobius in Mobius. Oh, right,
right. He's just keeping an eye on things. Wow.
That would be an insane Easter egg if that was
intentional. I don't think it is. No, I don't
think so either. But man, that would be something
else. Oh, we know this trick. We know this trick.
I paid attention in history class. It's weird.
It's like there's a whole saying about a Trojan
horse. It irritates me that they call it the
Trojan horse. It wasn't Troy's horse. Well, it
was. They gave it to him. I mean, at the end,
I suppose it was. It's a gift. Yeah. You know
what? You're right. You're right. You got me
there. Wasn't it Sean Bean that came up with
that? Oh, that's cool. Oh, the first Blackberry.
I like this font. Almost got the Deathly Hallows
for A's. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's the same one
they've been using. Is it? Let's see if I can
get my hands on that font. I like it. Skip over
Helvetica right to Wakandan. That's right. The
man is a lunatic. So he's playing a double agent
or something. Yeah, I'm curious to know what
his objective is. I'm also irrationally upset
about how his beard doesn't have a mustache.
It's just shaved upper lip. Hey, he's rocking
it, man. He's rocking it. I really appreciate
the water in this show. Like every time they've
shown water, it's been really, really pretty.
Oh, look at that. Look, we go putting it together.
He wasn't so sure about that justice. We lost
the war. Here's a gift. Tee hee. Nothing to see.
The fact that this is part of history, like how
stupid are you? How dumb do you have to be? I've
always, I've always legitimately wondered is
how airtight that thing had to have been for
all the guys that would have taken to push that
thing into the city to not notice that it was
full of guys. Seriously. Yeah. I don't know.
No sounds, not seeing anything, not smelling
anything. Yeah. Well, I mean, just a horse full
of men. That's that's one thing I always think
about is how absurdly stinky the past must have
been. Oh, I know. I don't think they would have
noticed a smell. I'm upset right now. Yeah. Yeah.
It reeks like I can smell this scene. I guess.
Yeah. I guess if everything smelled so bad, then,
yeah, what's one more thing that smells bad?
And you don't notice the trap door on the bottom.
That was pretty damn obvious. Come on, guys.
Just got very quiet. Oh, man. I'm glad those
guys are just hanging out in their helmets. Oh,
now they're just dead in their helmets. Oh, but
he got there. Nah, you let him run too far. Yep,
yep, yep, yep. Well, that's your fault. Yeah,
you just stood there for a minute. Totally. Oh,
oh, there you go. There you go. Yes, give me
the Brad Pitt. Yeah, punch a man in armor with
your bare fist. That's always been my favorite
thing. Kills me. Like I can understand, Achilles
has been blessed, but that's not blessing. That's
just bad. Where's he going? Where are you going,
Brother Bear? Brother Bear. Ruh -roh. Well, damn.
He just pushed that guy in the wall hard enough
to kill him. Seriously, man. That's some brute
strength right there. These Trojan soldiers are
pretty soft is what I'm getting at. That's what
we're learning, yeah. It's like the stone is
no better. Look at him go. Yeah. Troy in general
was just ready to fall regardless. That's what
I'm learning from this episode. Right? Yeah.
Oh, man. It's like sandstone, all of it. Maybe
it's not there anymore. Paris is always such
a weenie. Oh, man. Imagine being. Remembered
in history for always being such the weenie little
bitch. He needs his piece of Wakanda back. The
theme continues. Put the thing back where it
came from or so help me or so help me. Yet another
great movie. Yeah. Oh, shit. You helping the
enemy. She just pushes his head. Yeah. Oh, snap.
Not someone you want to be on the wrong side
of the sword with. Fire in the back room. So
cool. Dude, the art in this show. So good. Achilles
thinks he's a Trojan. Achilles was dumb. That's
that's confirmed. Yeah. Yeah. Not the sharpest
conclusion there. I'm from a whole different
continent and it's bigger, way bigger. Right.
Like, dude, you notice the accent. Does this
sound like a Trojan accent to you? Oh, careful.
You might cut through the floor there. Yeah.
Yeah. Troy is not made to stand up to such punishment.
Pick your sword up, Achilles. Oh, he's fine somehow.
It's just like that swan dive in the last episode
into the ocean. That's a cool shot. Well, you
know, we discovered episode one and episode two.
We're just we have to throw inhibitions to the
wind here and just believe that these guys are
OK. Oh, oh. That can't be good. What have you
done? Oh, no, it's fine. Never mind. Oh, shit.
I don't know that I'd want to go up against Achilles.
I don't care if I have Wakanda attack or not.
Yep, confirmed. Director was or is an active
Overwatch player. Yep, that's got to be it. Do
you know if it's the same hand or not? I didn't
play enough Overwatch at that point. You know,
if you wouldn't have asked me, I probably could
have told you. I want to say that his special
fist is his right fist, but... Ah, theory busted
then. Oh, there it is. There's that heel. There
it is. You knew it was coming. Oh, damn, his
arm is messed up. Cut a band's ankle and tell
him to stay down. Yeah, right. So wrong. So what,
like Achilles loses all his battle prowess if
he gets his ankle touched? I mean, it's more
than touched, but still, I feel like Achilles
wouldn't have died like that. That seems silly.
Well, they're obviously taking some liberties
here. I'd say so. It seems so. I'd have to dust
off my Homer, but I think this is embellished
a bit. Probably just a hair. Not everything.
I love the tropes are tropes and you can just
you can just follow them. For the boatman. That's
right. I like that. I like that little attention
to detail. Yeah, same. Very nicely played. Do
you know what's supposed to happen if you don't
provide the coins? I think Kieran gets upset
and talks to the manager. I'm not sure though.
Kieran more like Karen. Jesus. Yeah. Well, this
goes home and just. Puts on a robe and walks
with your gangsta lean. Okay. Oh, hey, look.
It's Noni. She's back. That's really cool. Cool
little cameo tie -in. Yeah, I like that. I like
that a lot. No, I'm glad they brought Noni back.
I'm sure that they have been yearning for your
approval. I'm sure. It's like he's definitely
kept up on shaving that upper mustache. That's
right. Very important to him. It's a daily routine.
That's the common thing. For king and country.
Mm -hmm, mm -hmm, mm -hmm. It's that Nick Fury
eye patch thing going on. Now kiss. All right.
And we're done. Yeah. Beautiful. What do you
say we take it over to the deep dive and talk
about it deeply? See you over there, folks. Thank
you for joining us in this episode of the Snark
Industries podcast. To join the conversation
and further explore the Marvel Cinematic Universe
with us, head on over to snarkindustriespod .com.
The link will be in the show notes. But with
that, we will see you in the next adventure.
In the waning years of the Bronze Age, the legendary siege of Troy serves as the backdrop for a high-stakes mission of recovery and infiltration by the Hatut Zaraze. B’kai, a dedicated operative of the Wakandan secret service, has spent nearly a decade undercover as the Greek commander Memnon, earning the unwavering trust of the nearly invincible Achilles while secretly hunting for a stolen vibranium artifact. As the Greeks deploy the desperate gambit of the Trojan Horse to finally breach the city's walls, B’kai must navigate the crumbling line between his genuine brotherhood with Achilles and his absolute duty to the isolationist nation of Wakanda.
As the city falls into fire and blood, the recovery of a vibranium-infused necklace from Helen of Troy triggers a violent confrontation that deconstructs the myths of heroes and the true cost of national security. B’kai is forced to confront the tragic reality that being an "Eye of Wakanda" requires the sacrifice of personal identity and the betrayal of those who believe in him most. This episode serves as a haunting exploration of the psychological toll inflicted upon the War Dogs, revealing a secret history where Wakandan intervention subtly shaped the legends of the ancient world long before the nation ever stepped onto the global stage.
Dive further at https://www.snarkindustriespod.com/post/002-eyesofwakanda-s1e2-legendsandlies
Hello and welcome, fellow Marvel fans, to the
Snark Industries podcast. I'm John. And I'm Remy.
And we invite you to join us as we work our way
through every Marvel TV show, movie, and crossover.
Meaning if there's a Marvel character on screen,
it's fair game. All categorized in the temporal
order of their setting. By the time we're done,
we'll have built a complete start -to -finish
timeline of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To accomplish this goal and to have a bit of
fun along the way, each episode will be split
into two parts, a watch party and a deep dive.
If you're hearing this, you found one of our
deep dives. This is where we slow things down
and take a more pragmatic, in -depth look at
a piece of Marvel media. We'll walk through the
full plot, explore connections to the wider MCU
and Marvel comics, highlight Easter eggs, unpack
lore, and of course, give you our own personal
thoughts and feelings. Although this episode
stands on its own, it is designed to complement
the watch party. So, if you haven't watched along
with us yet, we highly recommend starting there
first and coming back here for the full breakdown.
Most importantly, we want to thank each and every
one of you for joining us on this incredible
journey. We're not affiliated with Marvel in
any way, shape, or form. We're just fans who
are passionate about these stories and these
characters and wish to share them with everyone
in a new and exciting way. So, sit back, relax,
and enjoy this episode of Stark Industries. Welcome
to the Deep Dive. We've just watched Eyes of
Wakanda, Legends and Lies. John, why don't you
go ahead and take it off with the synopsis? Absolutely.
So I think the first thing I'd like to mention
before we actually get to the breakdown of the
episode itself is, apart from the first one,
this episode actually had a different director
and writer. Oh, I missed that. Which I felt was
interesting. And it will become more interesting
as we continue on down the episodes later on.
But for now, we'll just say different writer
and director. So Legend of Lies takes place in
around the 1200s BC during the Trojan War. What
we have here is the story of another Wakandan,
Pakai, who goes by Memnon. as he fights alongside
the Greeks in the Trojan War. And so we have
this insertion of a Wakandan militant being part
of the Greek army and ultimately the story of
the Iliad, which is kind of what we get a snippet
of, which is a very interesting take as we go
into a real, common, well -known story that people
are already familiar with. Try to tie it into
with these characters and his there. So, you
know, they go through and they show he fighting
along Achilles. They're very clearly close throughout
the thing. And, you know, you kind of follow
along as they. try to breach the walls of Troy
unsuccessfully. We all know this part, and ultimately
Odysseus, who was there as well. Semi -successfully,
but they were called back. Well, right. I mean,
they handled their little portion, but the Greek
army as a whole would be defeated if they kept
going forward because they weren't able to have
the same success, which is kind of what I meant.
They're unable to, as an army, get over the walls.
So they come back, they retreat. Odysseus has
the great idea to build this horse, load it full
of soldiers, send it inside, let those soldiers
come out and let the rest of the army in. So
we kind of all know how that story plays out.
I think that anybody who attended school at any
point during their life is aware of this story.
Or likes good movies. Or likes good movies. I
was literally about to say, or that anyone who's
ever seen. The Brad Pitt rendition of Troy has
done this. But ultimately, we get towards the
back half here. We get Bakai here, who's got
obviously some ulterior motives. He's got some
sort of device that is allowing him to communicate,
which is clear as being used to send back to
Wakanda. He is an operative that is undercover
here to... gather a artifact that has been taken
that has been lost that has been somethinged
and is now here and it turns out that helen uh
has this necklace this artifact which is a necklace
and bakai goes in convinces her that he wants
it needs it and that he'll let them go he both
her and paris who are fleeing the city as the
greek attack happens and she agrees and achilles
sees this happening And ultimately feels betrayed,
you know, realizes that Bakai has been lying
to him about something. He's not really quite
sure what, but sees this necklace, sees him letting
ultimately the enemy of Greece go. And they have
a fight out in the courtyard outside of Helen's
bedroom area. And, you know, it's shown very
clearly, very quickly that this artifact is vibranium.
Achilles tries to attack it, you know, and of
course it absorbs that energy, kinetic energy,
which we know this metal can do. And long story
short, we have a change in ultimately what everyone
would know is the thing, not only this character
Bakai being inserted, but ultimately is the one
who kills Achilles. Who was unable to relent
about this, this artifact and going back to Greece.
And so a guy then takes it back and we do have
a brief conversation. Once he returns back to
Wakanda sometime later, I believe six months
was the timeframe after this, this battle with
Achilles. He talks to Noni, talks about how he
feels like a stranger. It doesn't, you know,
feels out of place. Apparently he's been gone
for nine years undercover with the Greeks working
on this. But that's wild. Yeah. And, you know,
doesn't want to be here. So, you know, the the
idea is that he's going to be sent off on another
mission. And this this sort of cycle of sending
out these these agents, these war dogs and everything
else to go and to get these artifacts and bring
them back to keep Wakandan technology outside
of the world continues here. And, of course,
we'll continue as we continue to go through the
various things. things of Wakanda through these
episodes. Yeah. Which is kind of crazy because
the first episode took place 60 years prior to
this. And the next one, if I'm not mistaken,
is nearly a thousand years later, maybe, maybe
2000. It's actually significantly more than that.
Yeah. So the next, the next episode, of course,
we'll get to that is, is called lost and found
that it is at 1400 CE, uh, the common era. So,
yeah. the next episode in eyes of Wakanda, but
the next episode we'll be watching is actually
going to be right. Well, that's, that's, yeah,
that's what I meant. Yeah. We're, we're going
in temporal order as everyone knows at this point,
hopefully. Uh, but yeah, for the, this actual
show, if you're, if you're watching it in that,
in that form, yeah. The next episode of eyes
of Wakanda is lost and found 1400. Yeah. So looking
forward to seeing what that's got. Absolutely.
As do I. And, uh, and we'll get there. And so,
but in the meantime, let's, uh, let's talk about
this episode. And how it ties into the MCU in
general and everything else. Do you have any
thoughts on that? Well, similarly to the first
episode, the biggest tie -in to the MCU is obviously
just Wakanda. There's no – even the amulet, we
didn't see any Easter eggs like we did the pickaxe
from the first episode. I didn't pick up anything
that was primarily Marvel, something that I could
identify from the movies or comics or anything
like that. There wasn't this was actually, I
think, less tied into the MCU, with the exception
of tying it to Noni and by Noni tying it back
to the MCU. So it was simply a story told out
of time, which was kind of cool. It was almost
entirely standalone. And I kind of dug it. But
it does still take place in the main Marvel MCU,
which is cool. Agreed. And I and I see that,
you know, an expansion just to kind of expand
on that just just a smidge. An expansion of kind
of the theme of not only the show that we have
here, but of Wakandan history in general, of
being this isolationist. Isolationist at all
costs. You know, we have this fight between Bakai
and Achilles that obviously was very emotional
for both of them. Achilles more angry and hurt,
betrayed, and Mennon knowing that it wasn't.
really about Achilles, but still had to uphold
his duty to his country, was meant to sort of
facilitate some of these feelings of heaviness
that comes from two ultimately brothers in arms
having to go at each other because of different
allegiances and things. So interesting to expand
on that. I think a bold move to expand it into
actual - Such a well -known story. Yeah. Yeah.
But well done. So but yes. Yeah. Well, well done
in terms of tie ins to the MCU. I think you hit
the nail on the head there. So that's that's
how it's tied in. And and how about for comics
in general, for those that prefer to expand their
horizons outside of just the. television and
movie theater yeah i did a bit of deep diving
for this one and i did not find a single comic
book time and obviously there are tie -ins to
as as you noted uh real world events yeah as
far as comics are concerned these are completely
original characters there there was nothing i
found i mean last time we saw the war dogs we
saw the dora milaje we saw things that were very
familiar to us beyond wakanda itself and the
overall of Wakanda, the secrecy, yada, yada,
et cetera, et cetera. There really isn't much
of a tie in. So, yeah, this is this is very much
a standalone. I didn't see any Easter eggs and
I could be very wrong. There could be Easter
eggs hidden, maybe some carvings on on a sword
or some nonsense like that. But I certainly didn't
pick anything up. Interesting enough, I don't
think that I did either. And and so, yeah, you
know, we had episode one, which was already very
loosely tied in. Original characters, original
story. This one, as you said, and I agree with
even more so of a standalone story, which I'll
be interested to explore further with the different
director and writer here. And as I said, the
later episodes where the episode one director
writer, episode two director writer has some
tie -ins. Yeah. Where they do some things together.
They collab a little bit for the further. final
two episodes we'll get we'll get to that when
we get to that but interesting and something
to look at i think and i look forward to to as
we progress through these obviously because we're
watching them in as you said a temporal order
i'm looking forward to seeing these things that
we're we're starting to see and i'm wondering
if in future projects that they're going to pick
up names like noni or bakai or some some characters
might be brought to the forefront as a nod in
future projects. I'd love to see this more tied
in, in a, in just kind of a tip of the hat way
in future films or projects. Absolutely. Absolutely.
All right. Well, why don't we spend a few minutes
here talking about our thoughts and feelings?
I think, you know, obviously we do a little bit
of that already, but. Yeah. Why don't you take
it away? Yeah. So for me, I enjoyed the episode.
I thought that it was. Similar to episode one,
very well written in terms of how it flows, the
choreography of the fight scenes and everything
else was really cool. It was neat to once again
get an entirely different, as we talked before,
you know, we had the Vikings, we had the Japanese,
some samurai influence we had, you know, and
here we have the Greek, sort of this Greco -Roman
style motifs and soldiers and different things.
I thought that was interesting in terms of the
overall show itself. I would say that I like
this one less than episode one. And the reason
I say that is because I don't appreciate pulling
something from a story and changing it to fit
your own goals. So I didn't necessarily mind
Bakai being a part of the Grecian army. You know,
Grecian army is huge. The idea that, you know,
this, this extra fellow was here. Yeah. That's
not a problem at all. And if they had kind of
stuck with that, I think that I would have been
more okay with it. But this idea that, oh, it
was actually this, this Wakandan guy that killed
Achilles. Yeah. It takes anything Paris had and
throws it away. Right. Yeah. Well, I mean, you
know, it just, I mean, this, you know, that when
they're taking a very big, very well -known story
and just like, all right, well, we're going to
change the end. You know, we're going to the
end of the movie. You know, Harry doesn't defeat
Voldemort. You know, it's actually. It's Luna.
Yeah, right. I mean, you know, it's one of those
things. It's just like, I get what you were trying
to do. I appreciate that you're trying to show
that Wakandan history is world history. I think
that's a theme of the show. I like that. But
the idea that you had to take ultimately a pinpoint
of an ending to a real story. And take that away
from it to make your thing work better. I didn't
really love. This is for me the second time that
I've seen this. I know for you it was the first.
I didn't appreciate that the first time. I thought
this was a lot less. Still good. Still worth
watching. But just a lot less in the first episode
because of that. They're just taking some liberties
on some stuff rather than having a true unique.
you know story told like noni in episode one
okay so that's that's my thoughts and feelings
how about you uh you know what it's funny i'm
sitting on the opposite side of that coin i i
thoroughly love it when people take real events
from history and fictionize them i love stories
that insert characters and create a reason for
something that we're familiar with to have happened
Great examples of this. I'm trying to think of
a really good example of this, but this is actually
a really silly example. But Lion King 2 .5, did
you ever see it? You know, I don't know if I
saw that one. OK, 2 .5. It's Lion King. Yeah,
it's the Lion King story told from Timon and
Puma's view. And all the things that happen in
that story are at some point attributed to the
happenings of Timon and Puma. And I thought it
was clever and funny and entertaining. And I
love when you take a story that you're familiar
with and you insert this, let's be honest, absurdity
into it because it is a known factual story.
It is something that we're already familiar with.
And you you give your own little flavor of twist.
I am all for it. I absolutely love that kind
of story. I love things that. that give you a
completely different perspective on something
you're already familiar with. Sure. And you know,
the differences of opinion, which is why they're
just that opinions. And, and I totally respect
that. Yeah, of course. I'm glad that you enjoyed
it. And yeah, I believe that's about all there
is to say, unless you have something else. I'll
just give everybody a, another big thank you
for joining us for the deep dive of legends and
lies. And we'll see you on the next one. Yeah.
You guys have a great one. We'll see you next
time. Thank you for joining us in this episode
of the Snark Industries podcast. To join the
conversation and further explore the Marvel Cinematic
Universe with us, head on over to snarkindustriespod
.com. The link will be in the show notes. But
with that, we will see you in the next adventure.
Bye. Bye. Bye.
Snark Industries heads to the Trojan War for Eyes of Wakanda's second episode, with a full breakdown of Bakai, a Wakandan War Dog embedded in the Greek army under the name Memnon, and his mission to recover a vibranium artifact from Helen of Troy. The plot gets walked through in full, from his close bond with Achilles to the confrontation that ends with Bakai killing one of history's most legendary warriors to protect Wakanda's secrets. The comic connections come up almost completely empty, making this an even more standalone story than episode one, and the episode's different director and writer get flagged as something worth watching as the season continues. The biggest talking point is the creative decision to rewrite the death of Achilles, which splits the hosts cleanly down the middle and makes for one of the more interesting conversations of the series so far.
Dive further at https://www.snarkindustriespod.com/post/002-eyesofwakanda-s1e2-legendsandlies
Synopsis
In the waning years of the Bronze Age, the legendary siege of Troy serves as the backdrop for a high-stakes mission of recovery and infiltration by the War Dogs. B'kai, a dedicated operative of Wakanda's secret intelligence network, has spent nearly a decade undercover as the soldier Memnon, earning the unwavering trust of the formidable Achilles while secretly hunting for a stolen vibranium artifact. As the Greeks deploy the desperate gambit of the Trojan Horse to finally breach the city's walls, B'kai must navigate the crumbling line between his genuine brotherhood with Achilles and his absolute duty to the isolationist nation of Wakanda.
As the city falls into fire and blood, the recovery of a vibranium-infused necklace from Helen of Troy triggers a violent confrontation that deconstructs the myths of heroes and the true cost of national security. B'kai is forced to confront the tragic reality that being a War Dog requires the sacrifice of personal identity and the betrayal of those who believe in him most. This episode serves as a haunting exploration of the psychological toll inflicted upon the War Dogs, revealing a secret history where Wakandan intervention subtly shaped the legends of the ancient world long before the nation ever stepped onto the global stage.
Reality Designation
This story takes place in the main continuity: 199999
Reality numbers are Marvel's official designations.
Where a universe has no official number we follow the Marvel Database and use its Temporary Reality Number (TRN-1092). Where there is neither — official or temporary — at the time we watch it, we assign a Snark Industries number of our own (SI-001).
Characters in the Episode
Milestone: Fought in the war he would always be remembered for
Milestone: Killed by B'kai
Commander of the Myrmidons and legendary Greek hero; B’kai’s closest friend and eventually his adversary.
Milestone: Loses his dearest friend
Kills in this episode: 1
The central protagonist; a Hatut Zaraze agent operating deep undercover within the Greek army for nine years.
A Myrmidon soldier who remains perpetually suspicious of Memnon’s true origins and ethnicity.
Milestone: Watches her new home fall due to her choices
The lover of Paris whose "abduction" sparked the war; she possesses the vibranium necklace B’kai is tasked to retrieve.
The Director of the War Dogs in Wakanda, who welcomes B’kai home six months after the war.
Milestone: Creates what he will be known for: The Trojan Horse
The strategist of the Greek forces and King of Ithaca; architect of the Trojan Horse tactic.
Milestone: Watches his city fall due to his choices
The Trojan prince and lover of Helen; he attempts to flee the city during its final destruction.
In-Universe Date
The story lands in the last stretch of the war, the night Troy falls to the horse. Traditional reckoning dates that fall to roughly 1194 to 1184 BCE. Memnon's dialogue places him nine years deep in the campaign.
Comic Roots
Where the episode's people and places come from on the page.
The concept of the Hatut Zeraze was first introduced in Black Panther Vol. 3 #4 (1999) by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira. In the source material, they are portrayed as a brutal, white-clad secret police force founded by King T'Chaka himself and disbanded by his son T'Challa upon taking the throne due to their excessive violence. The animated series adapts this by moving their origin back thousands of years and repositioning them as a response to the "Lion's" betrayal. The term "War Dogs" is used as the informal designation for these operatives, a term popularized in the MCU by characters like Nakia and N'Jobu in the 2018 Black Panther film.
The Trojan War has been depicted multiple times in Marvel Comics, most notably in Thor Annual #8 (1979) and the five-issue Trojan War limited series (2009). However, the MCU version takes significant creative liberties:
Achilles: In the comics (Earth-616), the Pantheon's Achilles is a descendant of Agamemnon, the half-Asgardian founder of the Pantheon, from whom all members of the group inherit their superhuman abilities. The Eyes of Wakanda version strips away the explicitly divine elements, presenting Achilles as a hero whose prowess is legendary but who is ultimately vulnerable to the precision and technology of a Wakandan agent.
Memnon: The character of Memnon has a distinct comic history, appearing in Trojan War #3 (2009). In that series, he is depicted as the King of the Aethiopians, historically associated with modern-day Ethiopia and Sudan, who fought for Troy and was killed by Achilles. The show subverts this by making "Memnon" a false identity for a Wakandan agent who fights for the Greeks, effectively flipping the mythological and comic script.
The concept of vibranium as an extraterrestrial metal deposited on Earth by a meteorite is well-established in Marvel Comics lore, with the meteorite origin developed across multiple comics following vibranium's first appearance in Fantastic Four #53 (1966). That foundational issue introduced vibranium as a rare metal unique to Wakanda, and subsequent comics established that a massive meteorite carrying the mineral crashed into the region in the distant past, with scattered trace particles seeding the broader world. The Eyes of Wakanda series expands on this by suggesting that pieces of vibranium were circulating globally long before Wakanda established its strict isolationist borders. This mirrors comic runs like Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, which explores the historical presence of vibranium in various global conflicts.
Recommended Reading
Where to go next if the episode left you wanting more.
The definitive modern Black Panther run and the source of the Hatut Zeraze and Dora Milaje in comics. Priest's T'Challa is a layered political figure operating a spy network, the direct spiritual ancestor of Eyes of Wakanda's premise. Start here.
Develops War Dog operations further and explores what happens when Wakandan agents become too embedded in foreign cultures. Directly relevant to B'Kai's psychological arc.
The most accessible entry point to Priest's run. Introduces the War Dogs concept, Everett Ross, and the political machinery of Wakanda's intelligence apparatus that Eyes of Wakanda directly inherits.
The first major Black Panther solo story and the foundation of Wakanda's literary mythology. Establishes the nation's culture, geography, and internal conflicts that all later stories build on.
Non-comics but non-negotiable context. Achilles, Memnon, Odysseus, the Trojan Horse, Achilles' heel, all originate here. The episode is in active dialogue with Homer and inverts several of its most famous moments.
The Snark File
Easter eggs, callbacks and technical tidbits.
The Achilles Heel
The episode's sharpest bit of mythological sleight of hand is hiding in plain sight throughout the runtime. B'kai/Memnon ends the fight with Achilles by slashing his heel, and it is the wound that kills him. The show is quietly rewriting the Greek myth: in the original tradition, Achilles is killed by Paris, guided by Apollo, with an arrow to his heel. Here, it is Memnon who injures Achilles by severing his heel before sadly ending his life, a Wakandan spy doing what Paris and the gods supposedly managed. The legend survived. The truth did not.
A Composite of Mythological Figures
B'kai draws from multiple figures in the Iliad simultaneously. His assumed name, Memnon, belongs to the Aethiopian king who was an ally to the Trojans. His role as Achilles' closest companion mirrors Patroclus. His role as Achilles' killer belongs to Paris. The episode collapses three distinct mythological characters into one Wakandan operative, which is both a narrative efficiency and a pointed suggestion that the legends were never reliable to begin with.
Noni as Nick Fury
By the time the episode's coda arrives, a much older, eyepatch-wearing Noni is running the War Dogs as their Director. She functions as an explicit parallel to Nick Fury, sporting a similar eyepatch, leading the Wakandan equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and being referred to as "Director." The parallel is almost certainly intentional, connecting Wakanda's ancient intelligence apparatus to the modern one audiences know from the broader MCU.
The Myrmidons and Daredevil
Achilles leads the Myrmidons, his legendary band of warriors, which is accurate to the source material. However, the name carries additional weight in Marvel Comics continuity: the Myrmidon is also the name of a private prison in the Daredevil comics, used by Mayor Wilson Fisk after he passes the Power Act. Whether intentional or not, the name now operates on two registers for comics-literate viewers.