The third episode of The Falcon and the Winter Solder ended with a surprising cameo from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Deadline, Black Panther warrior Ayo (Florence Kasumba, The Lion King), made an appearance, declaring to Bucky (Sebastian Stan, Captain America: The First Avenger), “I’m here for Zemo.” The cliffhanger has fans of the show speculating what Wakandan crossover plots and characters are still to come.
Ayo first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, serving as a member of the all-female Dora Milaje security force. According to Inverse, her declaration to Bucky could be the sign of revenge plot against Baron Zemo, who killed the Wakandan King T’Chaka. Whether this set up crosses into the plots for the upcoming Black Panther 2 or the Wakanda TV series at Disney+ is unknown.
Another theory from Inverse looks to the comic books, in which Ayo is a part of the duo the Midnight Angels with her lover Aneka. Ayo’s cameo on The Falcon and the Winter Solder could mean an appearance by Aneka.
The Falcon and the Winter Solder’s head writer Malcolm Spellman recently told fans to expect a big cameo in the fifth episode, according to Inverse. “There are characters in our series who I would love to see partnered with like — it’s very, very grounded character — partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that. The personality is so strong,” Spellman said in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes TV.
This revelation, paired with Ayo’s appearance, has fans questioning whether the big cameo will be another character from Wakanda. Inverse outlined the possibilities of Black Panther’s T’Challa (the late Chadwick Bosemen, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) or Shuri (Letitia Wright, Ready Player One) popping up in the series.
Episode four of The Falcon and the Winter Solder will be available to stream on Friday, April 9, at midnight PT/3am ET on Disney+.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat