N'Jobu in Ancestral Plane
When Killmonger goes to the Ancestral Plane, the rich image of the apartment is welcoming and comforting (it reminds Killmonger of his childhood and father) but it also represents a kind of trap. It cuts off N’Jobu from the rest of the Ancestral Plane. The same purple sky can be seen through the windows, showing that their homeland is on the horizon but out of reach. These visuals demonstrate the continuing alienation of Killmonger and N’Jobu from their Wakandan heritage. "Everybody dies" Killmonger says. This scene evokes the depth of pain created by the loss of his father, and how the outside world has taken so much from Killmonger and made him into the man he is today, set on revenge and freedom through war.
Wakandan Mythology
The opening of the film relays the mythology of Wakanda and how the Black Panther came to be. An attentive viewer will notice that the visuals take the form of the same particle-based holograms that we later see the Wakandans using for their computers and communications. The imagery simultaneously puts us in a world that is deeply connected to the spiritual as well as being grounded in advanced technology. Through this we can see how Wakanda is defined by these twin principles, paradoxical though they may seem next to each other. It is a country that is deeply rooted in the past, yet pushing further into the future than any other nation. It is based on the power of vibranium, which holds significance both for how it has enabled their advanced society and how it forms the core of their spiritual beliefs. This introduction was added to the film after early test screenings left audiences confused about the history and society of Wakanda, but through deft visual language it becomes an essential framing of the entire story, setting the stage for both the world of the film and its tone.
Division on the train tracks
T'Challa fights Killmonger on the tracks of the magnetic train near the end of the film. As the train plows by they are divided on either side of it until it passes. The imagery represents how they are divided, literally and metaphorically, by the technology that Wakanda possess. Killmonger is set on freeing the world from slavery through armed revolution, while T'Challa desires a peaceful approach to social improvement.
Afrofuturism
Many different parts of the film bear the hallmarks of the artistic style known as Afrofuturism. Wakanda, from its comic book-based inception, is a vision of what Africa might have become had it been shielded from the horrors of colonialism. As such, the film is full of visual design elements based on historical African clothing, tools, and art, all infused with a dose of imaginative science fiction.
Throne room upside down shot
After Killmonger becomes king, there is a shot of him entering the throne room which begins upside down and then rotates to right itself. This helps to illustrate how Killmonger has radically changed Wakanda in an instant, figuratively ‘turning it upside down.’
