We can collectively agree that the Infinity Saga of the MCU was the best before the franchise expanded into countless other media with innumerable releases that made it difficult to keep track of. The first three phases, and some parts of the fourth, did a wonderful job of introducing casual audiences to everything they needed to know about their superheroes, including certain elements that appear to be character-specific.
The concept of alternate planes of existence, accessible from the Material Plane, has been explored in Marvel movies like Doctor Strange and Black Panther. While Doctor Strange delves into the idea of multiple planes, Black Panther introduces the Ancestral Plane: a realm that takes on three distinct forms across the films and plays a pivotal role in the journey of Wakanda’s protectors. But what exactly is the Ancestral Plane? Why is it so significant, and why does it appear uniquely to each Black Panther we’ve encountered?
According to Wakandan lore, the Ancestral Plane (also referenced in other MCU films) is where the soul resides after death. As T’Challa (portrayed by Chadwick Boseman) explained to Natasha Romanoff, Wakandans view this realm as the Ancestral Plane, a sacred place where Bast and Sekhmet guide the departed. There, they are reunited with their ancestors, take the form of a panther, and are free to roam forever. While Romanoff found this to be a serene notion, T’Challa clarified that this belief was his father’s, not necessarily his own.
Later, after his coronation in the movie, T’Challa ingests the Heart-Shaped Herb, falls into a slumber, and gets buried, only to reawaken in the Ancestral Plane by rising from the earth. In T’Challa’s case, he meets up with his father and other past Black Panthers, which actually happens twice in the movie: once when he becomes king and the second time after he’s revived in the mountains. However, the experience isn’t universal; Killmonger saw his father, while Shuri saw Killmonger.
This suggests that the Ancestral Plane isn’t actually a place but rather a “plane of untethered consciousness” which is perceived differently by different individuals. T’Challa vision of Ancestral Plane was of Wakanda and Africa because that was familiar to him; Killmonger saw his dad in their apartment; and Shuri saw the flooded Wakandan throne in Wakanda Forever, which reflected the recent events she experienced. Furthermore, she met Killmonger, of all people, simply because they were emotionally aligned — driven by grief and vengeance — despite being miles apart ideologically.   We anticipate to see more of this in the impending series Eyes of Wakanda, the sixteenth Disney+ MCU series, and the first series of Phase Six, scheduled to premiere on August 6, 2025.
Whatever the case may be, experiencing the Ancestral Plane is shown to be an extremely jarring experience, as T’Challa, Killmonger, and Shuri all awoke from their visit emotionally distraught. The time spent in the Ancestral Plane also doesn’t correlate with the passing of time in the Material Plane, as we’ve seen all of them having lengthy individual interactions but have awakening moments following their initial burial — except Shuri, who consumed her herb in a lab.
Sadly, this still doesn’t provide us with a clear-cut answer as to what what the Ancestral Plane is, and in discussions like these, it’s best to turn to the source material: the Black Panther comics. However, while the comics dive into the mysticism associated with the Black Panther, they don’t actually explain what the Ancestral Plane is. In the comics, the place where consciousness still exists after death is the Djalia, which is a transcendent plane that represents Wakanda’s collective memory.
So, without comics to provide guidance, we can only draw our own conclusions based on what we know from the MCU. T’Challa ventured into the Ancestral Plane, as was judged worthy by Bast, so he was granted a vision of his ancestors. Killmonger, on the other hand, was only granted a vision of his father, so we can assume that Bast prevented him from seeing other Black Panthers. And we already discussed what Shuri saw and why did she see the things she did.
But all three have one thing in common: the living can access the Ancestral Plane when they ingest the Heart-Shaped Herb, at least in the movies. The comics, particularly Hickman’s and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ runs, dive more into the spiritual and mystical side of what it means to be the Black Panther. These often show T’Challa having council sessions with his ancestors, but they don’t actually specify the place as an Ancestral Plane. As previously explained, the afterlife has a different name and meaning in the comics.
The Moon Knight series introduced another astral plane of existence: the Duat, also known as the Field of Reeds. Taweret, the Egyptian goddess (similar to Bast), explains that the Duat is just one of many intersecting planes of untethered consciousness, with the Ancestral Plane being another. She further clarifies that the true nature of these planes is beyond human comprehension, suggesting that both the characters and viewers perceive them in ways that feel familiar and understandable.
So, in conclusion, the Ancestral Plane is a depiction of a deeply personal and culturally resonant space that speaks to the significance of heritage, memory, and self-reflection in the Black Panther narrative. Sure, the comics and movies offer different interpretations of the mystical realm, but their common ground is that the connection between the living and the past is as much about personal beliefs and emotions as it is about tradition. This ultimately makes the Ancestral Plane into much more than just a place: it’s a reflection of identity and an enduring legacy of those Panthers who came before.