Warning! Spoilers ahead for Heroes Reborn #4
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Heroes Reborn, the mystery of Black Panther's Wakanda is beginning to be unveiled, revealing what happened to the advanced nation in this new and drastically changed reality. In this remade Marvel Universe, Wakanda is simply a myth, as they apparently never chose to reveal themselves. Instead, they've seemingly decided to venture out to the stars in secret, bearing a resemblance to the the 'Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda' storyline that just concluded from acclaimed writer Ta-Nehsisi Coates.
In prior issues of Heroes Reborn, it's been revealed that the biggest change to reality was the fact that the Avengers never assembled, creating the opportunity for the Squadron Supreme of America to become Earth Mightiest Heroes. However, this major change created a domino effect, changing the lives and paths of almost every hero and villain in some pretty interesting ways. This includes the change that King T'Challa determined to keep his nation of Wakanda secret from the rest of the world. However, it looks as though Wakanda has still been working in the shadows, as seen at the end of Heroes Reborn #4 from writer Jason Aaron with artists James Stokoe and Ed McGuinness.
In this issue, Marvel's version of Green Lantern, Doctor Spectrum, was seen brutally interrogating Ego the Living Planet, demanding to know if he had seen any of the illegal non-American spacecraft he's become aware of. However, he doesn't believe Ego when the planet tells him that the ships are Wakandan, thinking that the nation doesn't exist. In actuality, the Wakandan fleet is quite resourceful at staying hidden, and it looks as though they've been looking for something, having just found it at the issue's end: The Starbrand.
Apparently, Rocket and Groot had been taking care of the young Starbrand for years in space, but the Wakandan Space Command has finally found her, no doubt seeing her and her immense power as a means to fight back against the Squadron. However, the final frontier is by no means a safe territory thanks to the campaign of brutal law and order by Marvel's Green Lantern, which most likely means that she'll be taken back to Earth so the Black Panther and his nation can plan their next phase.
While it's unclear at the moment if T'Challa still has his memories of the world that was, it seems obvious that he and his hidden nation are planning something big for the future of Marvel's Heroes Reborn. Likewise, it's cool to see Wakanda still having an eye on space travel in this new universe, mirroring the 'Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda' storyline which just saw the nation expanding into the stars as well. Regardless, here's hoping Black Panther made the right call to secure the Starbrand in this altered universe.