The Black Panther returns to Wakanda after fighting with the Avengers in the US and finds a man confined in a hanging cage. Beneath the men are two henchmen of Erik Killmonger, threatening the man, telling him he must answer to Killmonger himself. The Black Panther comes crashing in from above and fights the two henchmen, Tayete and Kazibe, defeating them despite their guns. One of the men pleads for mercy before again attacking the Black Panther. As the Black Panther frees the man in the cage, the two henchmen run away, though T’Challa warns them that this fight is not over.

The man from the cage is dying. When the Black Panther asks why the men attacked him, the man explains that the Wakandans lost hope that the Black Panther would return, and these men came to see who was controlling central Wakanda. The man insists that he kept faith the Black Panther would return before he passes. T’Challa carries the body of the man back into the village. As he passes through, he reflects on Wakanda’s changes. He feels his homecoming took too long, disconnecting him from his people and threatening the cultural status of the Black Panther.