Black Panther - AfroFuturism takes on Broadway!!

[Kato]

Hm.. I'm not sure what the comics have to say about the point of succession. I guess if the royals were part of one of the tribes them asking all four (five) to challenge them would be a bit weird, considering one of them is their own. Of course there's plenty of possible explanations for that but it seems a little bit uncommon.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Hm.. I'm not sure what the comics have to say about the point of succession. I guess if the royals were part of one of the tribes them asking all four (five) to challenge them would be a bit weird, considering one of them is their own. Of course there's plenty of possible explanations for that but it seems a little bit uncommon.

As CGP Grey put it, before formal inheritance rules were established, royal succession was free-for-all, home team advantage to the eldest son. Yes, a popular elder child may not face a challenge from within their clan, but if they've been showing like they could be trouble, they might get a different member of the family to challenge them and get them out of the way.

As to whether the current royalty is direct descendants from the original black panther, that's easy enough to believe: after 1500 years everyone in the five tribes would probably be descendant from him, just like pretty much half the world descends from Genghis Khan. That's just how population growth works, especially for major unifying rulers with little reason not to take multiple wives.

GW

[random11]

Saw the movie yesterday, and I enjoyed it very much.

Solid plot, one of the best villains in the MCU, and understandable motivation to all the different character's point of views.
Action was good, and was done in the right amount of time - enough to make it a good action movie, not too much to take away from the story.

Two minor things bothered me (don't even consider them spoilers):

- According to the story, the fast advancement of technology is attributed to the unique metal.
I understand it has many practical uses, but how does it help in advancing the technology when it just starting?
Strongest metal in the world does not help much when your current technology can't work with the metal yet.
Still, it's just a nitpick, and maybe it's for the best to just accept it as it is and not waste too much time of the story explaining that.

- The fighting ritual annoyed the hell out of me.
We have a culture that is both a technological and a social wonder, and they STILL don't get that the best king is not necessarily the best fighter?

[Douglas]

- According to the story, the fast advancement of technology is attributed to the unique metal.
I understand it has many practical uses, but how does it help in advancing the technology when it just starting?
Strongest metal in the world does not help much when your current technology can't work with the metal yet.
Still, it's just a nitpick, and maybe it's for the best to just accept it as it is and not waste too much time of the story explaining that.

As I understand it, when technology was just starting Wakanda's primary advantage over everyone else was simply the unity, peace, and prosperity to be spending all their resources on self advancement rather than large scale death and destruction through war.

- The fighting ritual annoyed the hell out of me.
We have a culture that is both a technological and a social wonder, and they STILL don't get that the best king is not necessarily the best fighter?

Well, part of their king's job benefits is supernatural fighting abilities that originally come from a deity's blessing. That makes fighting ability unusually relevant, and a deity's blessing isn't the sort of thing you shift to the chief henchman just because it's more practical that way. Plus, the fact that the fighting ritual exists as an available path to power without going through a civil war could be a major factor behind how they've kept internal peace among the tribes for so long. Also, tradition.

[Kyberwulf]

You know.. I have been heating that slot. Am I the only one who thought Killmonger was kind of a racist portrayal of the angry black guy stereotype? The .. heh.. usual portrayal of the old Black Panthers that take place during the 60s?

[BWR]

You know.. I have been heating that slot. Am I the only one who thought Killmonger was kind of a racist portrayal of the angry black guy stereotype? The .. heh.. usual portrayal of the old Black Panthers that take place during the 60s?

Did he seem like any other supervillain with a grudge - exaggerated, evil and wanting to go too far the other way in revenge? Yes.
Does he have a legitimate grief? As far as I can tell, yes.
Should he do what he tried to do? Obviously not.
Racist? I'll leave it to actual black people to determine that. It didn't strike me as racist, but I'm hardly the right person to ask.

I will say that BP struck me as a particularly American take on the whole problem which made the whole African setting seem odd. It works with the Killmonger connection, but there are definite problems of assuming that one particular manifestation of something is universal.

[Dr.Samurai]

You know.. I have been heating that slot. Am I the only one who thought Killmonger was kind of a racist portrayal of the angry black guy stereotype? The .. heh.. usual portrayal of the old Black Panthers that take place during the 60s?

The Black Panthers were at least a movement against the government that was governing them. Whereas Killmonger blames a separate country for the plight of all blacks in other countries.

Spoiler

Show

I don't think Killmonger is a racist portrayal, but I do think he's superficial in his motivations. No argument is put forth about why Wakanda should be responsible for the plight of all black people on the planet. It's just simply asserted because they share the same color skin. The movie tells us at the beginning that American slaves are not Wakandas, and so African Americans are not descended from Wakandans (with the exception of Killmonger). But Erik says Wakanda abandoned them. His message is pretty clear: You have dark skin and wealth and technology, therefore you should help other people with dark skin. And since you didn't, I'm taking over. It's just a justification for a power grab.

It would be like the modern poor destitute whites of America going to the UK and blaming them for their plight, for abandoning them to the colonies after a failed war and leaving them to be oppressed and crushed under heel. And then using that as the excuse to take over the monarchy and wage war against the rest of the planet. Except at least we know that the colonies were actually under British control at one point, which is a stronger case than "we share the same skin color and are descended from people that lived on the same continent as you".

It's why I simultaneously like and dislike Killmonger. His motivation and goal is weak in my opinion. Something is off. I would have preferred if he was a little more self-aware and simply owned it. Less about race and more about reshaping the world under a new imperialist power, but one with superior tech that has already ruled over a utopia for centuries.

What I do like about him though is that, as a villain, he was effective at what he set out to do. He acted like someone that wanted to succeed and didn't get in his own way, and he used everything available to him to win. So I can overlook his shoddy villain motivations because at the end of the day, whatever his reasons are for doing it, he's killed T'challa, taken over Wakanda, burned any chance of another Black Panther rivaling him, and gained the support of the general and the soldiers. And now he's sending weapons out to his soldiers across the world. And that's awesome and a challenge for the hero.

[Cen]

Sooo am I the only one who tought that supernation with such advanced technology should have military with something more than super-spears and super-blankets?
Whole movie was ok but this last fight uterly ridulous....

[DemonicAngel]

Saw the movie yesterday, and I enjoyed it very much.

Solid plot, one of the best villains in the MCU, and understandable motivation to all the different character's point of views.
Action was good, and was done in the right amount of time - enough to make it a good action movie, not too much to take away from the story.

Two minor things bothered me (don't even consider them spoilers):

- According to the story, the fast advancement of technology is attributed to the unique metal.
I understand it has many practical uses, but how does it help in advancing the technology when it just starting?
Strongest metal in the world does not help much when your current technology can't work with the metal yet.
Still, it's just a nitpick, and maybe it's for the best to just accept it as it is and not waste too much time of the story explaining that.

Vibranium isnt just the strongrst, it also defies regular physics (see captain america shield).
So yeah, that would advance tech in a whole different way

[Dr.Samurai]

I think he’s asking how they were able to work with vibranium if they weren’t at a tech level to work with metal yet.

[137beth]

Another suspension of disbelief point about Marvel--we're generally expected to believe that some people are actually decent people. Marvel comics have included countless small nations, splinter groups, and individuals with access to powers, technology, or resources that could let them more or less conquer the world, so long as they are careful to avoid pissing off those aforementioned countless others with the same resources. Sometimes there are explicit reasons why, but in general I think we're expected to just find it plausible that a person with power might not immediately want to reshape the world in his own image.

Wow, this has got to be the most cynical paragraph I've ever read on this website

I think he’s asking how they were able to work with vibranium if they weren’t at a tech level to work with metal yet.

Maybe they have some weird technology that allows them to work with vibranium but arbitrarily fails on all other metals? I haven't seen the movie, I'm just throwing stuff out.

[thompur]

I'm wondering now, if the MCU has a "Savage Land" under Antarctica. In the comics, there is a significant source of vibranium there. Of course, I stopped reading comics in the mid '90's, so I really don't know if the Savage Land still exists.

Oh, and I loved the movie! Top 5 MCU movies for me.

[deuterio12]

I think he’s asking how they were able to work with vibranium if they weren’t at a tech level to work with metal yet.

The nice thing about metal meteorites is that you can just pull shards out of it and start making basic tools, skipping pretty much all of the hard refining work since it's pretty much pure metal already. Happened with some iron meteorites in the real world. Much, much easier than working with normal ore, but you need to be lucky enough to actually find a big enough meteorite.

[The Glyphstone]

Speaking of meteorites...how big exactly was the vibranium meteor that hit Earth? If they've been mining it for thousands of years without fear of running out, the thing must have been a dinosaur-killer sized asteroid.

[warty goblin]

The nice thing about metal meteorites is that you can just pull shards out of it and start making basic tools, skipping pretty much all of the hard refining work since it's pretty much pure metal already. Happened with some iron meteorites in the real world. Much, much easier than working with normal ore, but you need to be lucky enough to actually find a big enough meteorite.

You still need to be able to work the metal somehow. Which, given that the whole point is that it's borderline indestructible, seems challenging.

[Mechalich]

Speaking of meteorites...how big exactly was the vibranium meteor that hit Earth? If they've been mining it for thousands of years without fear of running out, the thing must have been a dinosaur-killer sized asteroid.

The actual source of the vibranium is the Soul Stone, one of the Infinity Stones (this is why Thanos is going to invade Wakanda in Infinity War). The meteor was probably quite small, most of the vibranium is plain old Earth metal somehow transmuted into vibranium by the infinity stone's power. So the supply may well be infinite.

[Devonix]

The actual source of the vibranium is the Soul Stone, one of the Infinity Stones (this is why Thanos is going to invade Wakanda in Infinity War). The meteor was probably quite small, most of the vibranium is plain old Earth metal somehow transmuted into vibranium by the infinity stone's power. So the supply may well be infinite.

Ehh doesn't make much sense really. The Soul Stone affecting the Heart Shaped Herb would make sense. Especially since it allows them to connect to the Panther Goddess. But Vibranium being connected to the Soul Stone. Yeah not likely.

[Dr.Samurai]

The actual source of the vibranium is the Soul Stone, one of the Infinity Stones (this is why Thanos is going to invade Wakanda in Infinity War). The meteor was probably quite small, most of the vibranium is plain old Earth metal somehow transmuted into vibranium by the infinity stone's power. So the supply may well be infinite.

Is this speculation or was this said somewhere? (Did I miss this in the movie actually?)

It would explain how they worked the ore and why (as Glyphstone pointed out) it wouldn't need to be a dinosaur-killer-sized rock.

Or to Deuterio12's point, maybe they took large chunks of vibranium and used that to work other hunks of vibranium? Is that how stuff works?

[Mechalich]

Is this speculation or was this said somewhere? (Did I miss this in the movie actually?)

It would explain how they worked the ore and why (as Glyphstone pointed out) it wouldn't need to be a dinosaur-killer-sized rock.

It's speculation, but it's fairly concrete. There are six infinity stones and the other five are all accounted for.

Space Stone: it was in Odin's vault in Asgard, Loki made off with it at the conclusion of Thor: Ragnarok. This is shown in the Thanos' possession in the gauntlet in the Infinity War trailer.
Reality Stone: this was the Aether in Thor: the Dark World. The Collector currently possesses it.
Power Stone: this was the one in Guardians I. The Nova Corps has it on Xandar. This is also shown in Thanos' possession in the gauntlet in the Infinity War trailer.
Mind Stone: was in Loki's scepter, currently lodged in Vision's forehead.
Time Stone: inside the Eye of Agamotto. Dr. Strange has it.
Soul Stone: Almost certainly in Wakanda. Not only explains vibranium, but also the 'Ancestral Plane' pocket reality and the heart-shaped herb. The Infinity War trailer makes it clear that Thanos is going to attack Wakanda which he has no particular reason to do if there's not a stone there.

[Legato Endless]

Of course, this assumes that the Soul Stone actually shows up in Avengers 3. It may not. Avengers 3 is already going to be juggling half a hundred characters, clashing armies, and several previous plotlines. Assuming Thanos isn't used up in his debut film as the central antagonist, there's no reason he has to get all six here, especially when there's another Avengers film that's going to wrap up Phase 3. Wakanda could simply play host to one of the known infinity stones when Thanos lands.

I didn't see anything that's inconsistent with the idea that the "Royal Family", such as it is, changes dynasties over time.

This is an excellent point.

It would explain how they worked the ore and why (as Glyphstone pointed out) it wouldn't need to be a dinosaur-killer-sized rock.

Considering the meteor is made of a substance that absorbs and negates kinetic energy, it could have very well collided with the Earth at 12 miles per second and left no real devastation.

[Dr.Samurai]

I do think the Soul Stone is in Wakanda (hence "In my culture, death is a beginning" and the Astral Plane stuff). But I'm not sure why it would create Vibranium out of regular rocks.

That's a good point about the qualities of the meteor Legato Endless.

[deuterio12]

You still need to be able to work the metal somehow. Which, given that the whole point is that it's borderline indestructible, seems challenging.

There are bound to be small vibranium shards in the impact area and one can use those to work more Vibranium just like you can use rocks to work other rocks.

[McStabbington]

It's speculation, but it's fairly concrete. There are six infinity stones and the other five are all accounted for.

Space Stone: it was in Odin's vault in Asgard, Loki made off with it at the conclusion of Thor: Ragnarok. This is shown in the Thanos' possession in the gauntlet in the Infinity War trailer.
Reality Stone: this was the Aether in Thor: the Dark World. The Collector currently possesses it.
Power Stone: this was the one in Guardians I. The Nova Corps has it on Xandar. This is also shown in Thanos' possession in the gauntlet in the Infinity War trailer.
Mind Stone: was in Loki's scepter, currently lodged in Vision's forehead.
Time Stone: inside the Eye of Agamotto. Dr. Strange has it.
Soul Stone: Almost certainly in Wakanda. Not only explains vibranium, but also the 'Ancestral Plane' pocket reality and the heart-shaped herb. The Infinity War trailer makes it clear that Thanos is going to attack Wakanda which he has no particular reason to do if there's not a stone there.

Counterpoint: they've already fudged the lore around the stones in the films, and if you hadn't noticed, they've got a very good business reason not to mess with the Soul Stone at all.

It's not like they haven't played fast and loose with comic lore around the stones already. Infinity Stones in the comics are way different, way rarer, and way more powerful than Cosmic Cubes. But that did not stop the films from collapsing the Cosmic Cube into an Infinity Stone in the films.

Which brings us to the central, very compelling, reason why they are not going to mess with the Sixth Infinity Stone: because the last thing you want to do is put an alien artifact called "The Soul Stone" in the country with all the African people. Seriously, am I the only one who has watched SF Debris' review of "Tattoo"? Because if you haven't, please do so. And when you come back, please recognize that is merely one example of a very long, very consistent, and very racist history in science fiction of dismissing the technological achievements of non-white natives by explaining said achievements away as the result of merely piggybacking on alien Precursor technology. It's a really, really common theme in science fiction, and you do not have to look very far for it at all.

I don't doubt that at some point, there probably were plans to put an Infinity Stone in Black Panther. But fortunately for us, at some point in pre-production, somebody actually counted down which Stones had already been used, and realized that if they put "The Soul Stone" in that film, it would be a very. very. bad. idea, that would undo a lot of very good work. So I have very little doubt that they waved off, said "Uh, Thanos has five fingers, so five Stones. Good enough for government work", and breathed a sigh of relief at dodging a very obvious bullet.

[Mechalich]

"Uh, Thanos has five fingers, so five Stones. Good enough for government work", and breathed a sigh of relief at dodging a very obvious bullet.

Six Stones were explicitly displayed in Guardians by the Collector. There are six settings on the Infinity Gauntlet. They're sticking with six. The soul stone is the orange one. It is possible it's not in Wakanda, but that's the best theory for where it happens to be available.

It is entirely possible, in fact it is probable, that the Wakandans do not know that the stone is there. It is likely to be buried deep beneath the Earth.

Which brings us to the central, very compelling, reason why they are not going to mess with the Sixth Infinity Stone: because the last thing you want to do is put an alien artifact called "The Soul Stone" in the country with all the African people. Seriously, am I the only one who has watched SF Debris' review of "Tattoo"? Because if you haven't, please do so. And when you come back, please recognize that is merely one example of a very long, very consistent, and very racist history in science fiction of dismissing the technological achievements of non-white natives by explaining said achievements away as the result of merely piggybacking on alien Precursor technology. It's a really, really common theme in science fiction, and you do not have to look very far for it at all.

Vibranium already does this. Wakanda is special because it has access to a super-metal that allows for the development of super-tech. The reason Wakanda gets this stuff is because it fell from the sky in that particular location. Saying that the source of the vibranium is an infinity stone instead that it just fell from the sky makes it no less of a gift from god (the Infinity Stones were created by the Celestials, who might as well be deities in the Marvel cosmos) than it already is.

[McStabbington]

Vibranium already does this. Wakanda is special because it has access to a super-metal that allows for the development of super-tech. The reason Wakanda gets this stuff is because it fell from the sky in that particular location. Saying that the source of the vibranium is an infinity stone instead that it just fell from the sky makes it no less of a gift from god (the Infinity Stones were created by the Celestials, who might as well be deities in the Marvel cosmos) than it already is.

No. No, it doesn't. If there's vibranium in the ground, that's just a metal with weird and not entirely realistic properties. But the Wakandans still had to figure out all the neat things they could do with vibranium on their own. They had to learn metallurgy, and the basic principles of physics, and engineering, and electronics, and medicine, and chemistry, and however many other technologies in order to reach their level of technological development, all on their lonesome. The vibranium's McGuffin qualities certainly helped, but it was their effort, and their know-how, that made exploiting that resource to the maximum possible. If you doubt that, please remember that when given about five pounds of the stuff, the most brilliant mind of World War 2-era mechanical engineering took it, and made it into a shield.

But if you add an alien Precursor artifact to all that? That makes it not the Wakandans' know-how that managed it, but the artifact. Or at least, that's definitely how it's typically played out in science fiction to this point. We can read Latin, so we know that the aqueducts were assembled by nothing more than Roman know-how and can-do attitude. But even though things like "pyramids" are basically the most basic and elementary way to make tall buildings, and even though people as diverse as the Mayans and Egyptians each demonstrated understanding of some fairly sophisticated construction and engineering skills, it's been a long-standing assumption that of course non-white backwards, primitive screwheads would need technologically advanced aliens to show them how to assemble rocks. This is playing into exactly the same trope. It was racist then, and it's going to be interpreted as racist now, and you don't need to do it.

Put simply, if there's only five Infinity Stones, nobody except for the most pedantic of comic book fans are going to care. If there's six, you can get the Soul Stone from elsewhere, off-screen. We already knew Thanos had some of the Stones before the films began. You don't need to try to thread through this racist trope to get there. So why bother? This is just plain common-sense, and good storytelling, to just not do it.

[BWR]

I hope Thanos will show up with the Soul Stone and be like "Yeah, I've had it all along. Time to complete my collection."

[Douglas]

I hope Thanos will show up with the Soul Stone and be like "Yeah, I've had it all along. Time to complete my collection."

The trailer for Infinity War shows Thanos adding the Space Stone to the Infinity Gauntlet, with the Power Stone already on it. The Soul Stone is not visible in that scene, and it seems unlikely that it would be anywhere other than on the Infinity Gauntlet if Thanos already had it.

[DemonicAngel]

https://www.google.co.il/amp/s/www.e...er-8289054/amp

Nope, no soul stone there. Sorry.

Also, im guessing the impact of vibranium created the mountain range that separates wakanda from the other african countries, besides trace elements of it appearntly affecting plant life

[SaintRidley]

Saw it and absolutely loved it. The story is paced well and unfolds pleasingly, and the characters are vibrant and exceptionally well done.

Spoiler: More detailed thoughts, particularly on Killmonger

Show

The big thrust of the film and its anti-imperial message was especially well crafted.
I found both T'Challa and Killmonger to be complex and nuanced voices of the debate on how to deal with the aftermath of colonialism.

It's significant that Killmonger is half-American and T'Challa is wholly African. T'Challa does not, at first, see all black people as his people. He only sees Wakandans as his people, and the rest are outsiders. Wakanda, having grown and thrived in extreme isolation, is untouched by the concept of race and racism.

Killmonger, on the other hand, is raised in America and has been subjected to a racist society and the trauma of that experience (any society that subscribes to the ideology of race is, to some extent, racist). He has ancestry through his mother which connects him to American slavery, and he recognizes that for black people in America there is no clear home to look back to like he has through his father. He's angry at the injustice perpetrated against black people all around the world, and he's particularly hurt that Wakanda could help so much but does nothing.

Killmonger has an outlook that is heavily informed by that background, both for good and for bad. He recognizes the injustices and he embraces all black people as his kin because he wants to see justice done by them. The bad is in the details. His solution is flawed for the very same reason he's able to recognize the problem: he sees an imperialist, oppressive system and his notion is to simply reverse the polarities and swap who is oppressor and who is oppressed. In the pursuit of this version of justice, he happily tramples on the lives of those he says he wants to help (note his girlfriend, whom he kills the second it's more convenient for him; note the burning of the garden because he, like all colonizers worth their salt, will trample upon sacred traditions in fits of myopic ego).

T'Challa does not operate with the mindset of a colonizer. And while he doesn't have the background to inform an outlook that supports seeing all black peoples as kin, he comes to realize Wakanda does need to find a place in the larger world, and that place must be one which is motivated by a desire to heal the world rather than wound it further. He has surrounded himself with intelligent people who are able to see multiple ways forward, and he listens and synthesizes their views as he makes decisions. He even adopts the good core of what Killmonger wants (Wakanda to be an active force for good in the world, rather than a passive actor allowing atrocity to go on around it) while ditching the parts of Killmonger's solution that represent colonialist poison.

In the end, Killmonger dies and I feel sad. I am sad because having grown up in America and seen how America does it, he couldn't even conceive of any way he would live without being in chains. I am sad because here is a young man who has been so poisoned by the very system he strives against that his only solution is to replicate it anew once he's torn it down.

In the end, Killmonger dies and I feel glad. I am glad because the valuable parts of his revolutionary dream will be continued, as Wakanda will make a belated effort to improve the world. I am glad because his imperialist ideology has not taken root in the heart of Wakanda.

In the end, Black Panther, inspires a great many feelings in my heart. And it has single-handedly raised many bars for me in terms of what I hope for and expect in movies, particularly science fiction movies.

[Dr.Samurai]

No. No, it doesn't. If there's vibranium in the ground, that's just a metal with weird and not entirely realistic properties. But the Wakandans still had to figure out all the neat things they could do with vibranium on their own. They had to learn metallurgy, and the basic principles of physics, and engineering, and electronics, and medicine, and chemistry, and however many other technologies in order to reach their level of technological development, all on their lonesome. The vibranium's McGuffin qualities certainly helped, but it was their effort, and their know-how, that made exploiting that resource to the maximum possible. If you doubt that, please remember that when given about five pounds of the stuff, the most brilliant mind of World War 2-era mechanical engineering took it, and made it into a shield.

But if you add an alien Precursor artifact to all that? That makes it not the Wakandans' know-how that managed it, but the artifact.

I can't see how you're parsing these two things at all.

The *only* reason Wakanda is an isolated hidden utopia is precisely because of how special (read:fictional/magical) a metal Vibranium is. It has nothing to do with Wakanda being in Africa populated by Africans. Vibranium doesn't exist and can't exist. As Spider-man says it "does not obey the laws of physics, at all".

Mechalich is correct. The Soul Stone being the source of Vibranium's properties would not change this dynamic. You still need Wakandans to "learn metallurgy, and the basic principles of physics, and engineering, and electronics, and medicine, and chemistry, and however many other technologies in order to reach their level of technological development, all on their lonesome", as you put it.

No one is saying the Soul Stone erected buildings and created force-fields while the Wakandans sat back and picked their noses. We're saying the reason Vibranium has its properties is because of the Soul Stone. I don't think that's the case, but if it were it doesn't take away from the Wakandans in the way you're suggesting. They still have to mine and work the Vibranium and you still need scientists like T'challa's sister to innovate and create new stuff.

Or at least, that's definitely how it's typically played out in science fiction to this point. We can read Latin, so we know that the aqueducts were assembled by nothing more than Roman know-how and can-do attitude. But even though things like "pyramids" are basically the most basic and elementary way to make tall buildings, and even though people as diverse as the Mayans and Egyptians each demonstrated understanding of some fairly sophisticated construction and engineering skills, it's been a long-standing assumption that of course non-white backwards, primitive screwheads would need technologically advanced aliens to show them how to assemble rocks. This is playing into exactly the same trope. It was racist then, and it's going to be interpreted as racist now, and you don't need to do it.

It will be interpreted as racist by people like you. The rest of us won't conclude something like "oh, the only way African nations can be advanced is if they have alien help", but you will leave the theater fuming thinking "Marvel is saying Africans can't be advanced without alien tech". That's on you.

"Those people have dark skin, therefore they can't accomplish anything, therefore they must have help from aliens" is not a sound argument and you should probably just ignore it if you're coming across it. It sounds too simple to even be real but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

There are reasons that history has played out as it has. In Marvel's universe, Africa is mostly depicted as it is in the real world. If you want a nation of highly advanced Africans that no one ever knew about, you need a reason for it, a way to explain its existence that can make sense in the current history.

It would be like if Columbus came to the New World, and mostly discovered everything to be the same as we know it in history class, except somewhere in present-day Kansas there was a hidden tribe of highly advanced Natives with laser weapons and tamed dinosaur mounts. I can guarantee there will be a blurb explaining why those guys are different and it will almost certainly be magic or alien-tech based. It's not racist, it's just making sense of something ahistorical.

Put simply, if there's only five Infinity Stones, nobody except for the most pedantic of comic book fans are going to care. If there's six, you can get the Soul Stone from elsewhere, off-screen. We already knew Thanos had some of the Stones before the films began. You don't need to try to thread through this racist trope to get there. So why bother? This is just plain common-sense, and good storytelling, to just not do it.

I don't think the Soul Stone will have an impact on Vibranium in any way so you can still put it there and not have this problem that you've created in your mind.

Nope, no soul stone there. Sorry.

He's got a point that Wakanda already has the Vibranium, heart-shaped plant, and the Astral Plane. Hmm... so maybe they've got Vision holed up there, or the Eye of Agamoto?