Marvel's Avengers Black Panther Expansion - What We Know So Far
At long last, the king is arriving in Marvel's Avengers. The action-packed game from Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics already launched with an impressive roster of superheroes, including fan favorites like Captain America, Iron Man, and Ms. Marvel. Later DLC introduced a couple of heroic archers to the game: the two Hawkeyes, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. But it's King T'Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, who has been frequently requested by the fanbase.
Black Panther was meant to be introduced to the game sooner. However, the sudden and tragic passing of T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman led to Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics respectfully delaying any announcements regarding the character.
On March 18, Square Enix announced the upcoming DLC Black Panther: War for Wakanda, which will bring the titular hero into a showdown with some of this greatest enemies. It sounds like all of Wakanda is at stake, so it's time to dive in and see what Square Enix has revealed about the next phase of Marvel's Avengers.
When will the Black Panther expansion be released?
A specific release date for Black Panther: War for Wakanda has not been announced just yet. However, according to the teaser from Square Enix Presents Spring 2021, the expansion is expected to drop "later this year." Even without a definite day and date, fans might be able to pinpoint a general timeframe for this DLC, purely based on how Marvel's Avengers has rolled out new content in the past.
After the base game launched in September 2020, the Kate Bishop-starring DLC, Operation: Kate Bishop – Taking A.I.M., arrived in December 2020. The next DLC, Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect, dropped in March 2021. So far, there appears to be a three-month cycle for DLC characters.
While Spider-Man is still expected to arrive as a PlayStation-exclusive DLC character, IGN has confirmed that Black Panther will arrive first. That would seem to position Black Panther: War for Wakanda for a Summer 2021 release.
What characters are in the Black Panther expansion?
Well, the most obvious inclusion in the upcoming War for Wakanda expansion is the Black Panther himself, King T'Challa. The hero appears at the tail end of the expansion's announcement trailer, but he notably does not have any dialogue in the teaser itself. At this point, it's still a mystery as to who will be voicing the character, but fans are probably excited enough just being able to see him in all of his armored glory.
However, another major Marvel character was revealed in the announcement trailer. The ominous voice making devilish deals with Marvel's Avengers protagonist Monica Rappacini is none other than Ulysses Klaw, one of Black Panther's greatest enemies. Klaw may be most well-known to movie-going audiences for his appearances in Age of Ultron and 2018's Black Panther, where he was portrayed by Andy Serkis (and wherein his surname was given the curious re-spelling of "Klaue").
From the sound of things, Klaw is planning to invade Wakanda and steal the nation's vibranium, a precious and indestructible metal. That may be why the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes get involved in the fight.
What platforms will the Black Panther expansion be on?
Along with the launch of Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect, March 18 also marked the release of the next-gen version of Marvel's Avengers. Even better, players who own the PS4 version of the game were given a free next-gen upgrade for the newest consoles, which also allowed them to move their save files over and continue the battle.
According to the official PlayStation blog, this upgrade was well worth the wait. Crystal Dynamics' Andy Wong wrote, "The entire combat system has been retuned and customized specifically to take advantage of the DualSense controller." Not only that, but the sound design for the game has been overhauled and load times have been drastically reduced. In other words, gamers are going to get to feel the force of every punch as lightning speed when War for Wakanda finally makes its way to the PS5.
Marvel's Avengers is currently available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia. Although the upcoming Spider-Man DLC is only going to be made available for PlayStation owners (a fact that has caused quite an uproar among the fans), it seems that the Black Panther: War for Wakanda expansion will be rolling out for every platform.