With the massive news that Disney is looking to expand Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure (among other expansion ideas), fans have been poring over the proposed plans with excitement. While there are plenty of theories on what these theme park expansions could be, there is perhaps no better theory than the inclusion of Wakanda near the entrance to the expansion of Disney California Adventure as discovered by Twitter user Frederick Chambers.

Disney California Adventure Expansion Proposal

Before we dive into the striking similarities between an iconic piece of Wakanda and the proposed plans, lets check out the overview for the Disney California Adventure expansion. In the bottom of the image is the existing theme park space in Disney California Adventure. In the middle of the image sits Paradise Pier hotel. The far right side of the concept art shows what will likely be a second esplanade to connect the Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Park expansion spaces.

As we’d expect for early plans, Disney has kept the concept art quite vague. We’ll caveat this entire thing by saying that these plans are presented as early stage proposals, and no final announcements have been made with regards to what themed lands might be located in this expansion should it be given a green light. That said, this next piece of art of the layout of the proposed Disney California Adventure expansion is convincingly and clearly a proposal for a Wakanda-themed area.

Here’s a look at the proposed layout for the Disney California Adventure expansion area. This layout image is much more detailed than the concept art above, which leads us to believe that a considerable amount of thought and planning has gone into what themed spaces might comprise this expansion.

Bringing Wakanda to Disneyland

We have to look no further than the entrance to the expansion to find what is undeniably the panther statue that sits on top of Mount Bashenga in Black Panther.

Still don’t see it? Here’s a closer look. We can see the panther statue in the middle of the image below set into what appears to be rock work. A show building looks to be in light blue behind the façade.

Here’s a look at the panther statue as seen in the Black Panther movie. It’s as close to a perfect match, with outstretched right leg, as anything else in the proposed plans.

In the movie, this area acts as one of the access points to The Great Mound – a mine located underneath Mount Bashenga. The Great Mound serves as the world’s only known natural source of vibranium, which is a nearly indestructible element that was used extensively by Wakandans to make them the most technologically advanced country on Earth. Mount Bashenga and The Great Mound also serve as a location of the final battle in the first Black Panther movie.

Going back to the layout, it’s very likely that Disney has an attraction in mind for this Wakanda-themed area in the Disney California Adventure plans, but what type of attraction remains a mystery for now.

Again, we need to stress that while this type of speculation is definitely fun, it is just that – speculation. Despite the undeniable similarities between the layout art and the locale of Wakanda, this is still art from an early proposal, not a finalized plan.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!