Is Wakanda at all inspired by Paradise Island?

[DisneyWWfan]

I don't have any information on this one way or another, and clearly both have become unique and interesting locales in comics books that are different. However, in looking into the two locations, there are several similarities.

One of which, that is prevalent is the concept of a rare metal being found in the region. With Wakanda, it is vibranium, and with Paradise Island it was Amazonium, the original metal Diana's bracelets were made from. Now, the current Wonder Woman, even the Post Crisis one, has bracelets made from the shield of Zeus, but I'm more directly talking about the original.

Looking at the two more in depth though,

Both societies are not very open or welcoming to outsiders and are constantly on the lookout for invaders.
Both societies are led by a character who is heir to the throne
Both societies view females highly as in Wakanda the Dora Milaje are the bodyguards of the Black Panther. They are often seen with swords, staffs,and spears.
Both societies are very old, and take their heritage very seriously (though everyone would do that)
Both societies seem on the surface to be archaic, but are actually very advanced (wakandan science and inventions, Paradise Island Purple healing ray, invisible jet)
Both societies have a lingering problem in that the meteorite that brought the Vibranium is also mutating people and animals, and Paradise Island has Doom's Doorway.
Both societies have an element of magic to them, with the Black Panther cult of Wakanda and the Greek pantheon of Paradise Island
Both societies were altered forever by something crashing into them (Wakanda the meteorite, and Paradise Island, Steve Trevor's jet.)


In Wakanda, they are very concerned about outsiders coming and getting some of the rare metals that are from the meteorite. If I recall correctly, one of the Lynda Carter TV show episodes, has characters invading Paradise Island in an attempt to steal the metal that makes Wonder Woman's bracelets (though that episode happened after Black Panther's first appearance).

Furthermore, when DC and Marvel combined for the Amalgram series, in Bullets and Bracelets, the series featuring Diana teaming with the Punisher, it is Black Panther who gives her the metal for her bracelets.

This last part is a bit of a stretch, but two regions of Wakanda are known as Panther Island and Paradise Forest.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Wakanda is a ripoff of Paradise Island or anything like that. Both of these areas have elements that are unique and very cool. I was just curious what others thought about this, and if it was anything.

[Agent Z]

I doubt it. These are elements that are very common in pulp comics featuring advanced empires.

[Hawk80]

Both societies are led by a character who is heir to the throne

I could be wrong, but I think it's fairly common in monarchies...

[Largo161]

Do I think Wakanda was inspired by PI? Nope. But when I bought Black Panther #1 yesterday (my first Panther comic) the similarities between the two locales crossed my mind also.

[MindofShadow]

A lot of these "similarities" are extremely common to isolated advanced fictional countries.

[KOSLOX]

Wakanda is based more on the idea of ancient Timbuktu (scholarly and cultural center) crossed with Ethiopia (an unconquered nation) with quite a bit of Kirby tossed in.

That said there is some overlap, and in a perfect amalgam world it would be fun to have them interact.

[DisneyWWfan]

I could be wrong, but I think it's fairly common in monarchies...

You are correct, what I meant to say was not worded in the best of ways.

What I meant more or less, with that entry was that both comic books are based around the heir to a throne, and not the active monarch. Though in Black Panther's first appearance, I believe he is king. For whatever reason, I always saw him mostly as Prince of Wakanda. You are correct though, with that entry, I was more talking about who the lead character of each given comic were.

[Desean101101]

Wakanda is based more on the idea of ancient Timbuktu (scholarly and cultural center) crossed with Ethiopia (an unconquered nation) with quite a bit of Kirby tossed in.

That said there is some overlap, and in a perfect amalgam world it would be fun to have them interact.

Yeah Overlap atleast the one thing they have in common is that they are both dicks to the outside world for no reason XD Between the Purple Ray and Wakanda having the cure for cancer kinda killed my like for both societies since they didn't give it out to the world.

[Agent Z]

Yeah Overlap atleast the one thing they have in common is that they are both dicks to the outside world for no reason XD Between the Purple Ray and Wakanda having the cure for cancer kinda killed my like for both societies since they didn't give it out to the world.

Amazons = former victims of sexual slavery and reincarnations of women murdered by men.

Wakandans = they're only dicks to the West and that's only because of what colonialism did to other African nations. The effects of which continue to plague said nations to this day.

[ZNOP]

Yeah Overlap atleast the one thing they have in common is that they are both dicks to the outside world for no reason XD Between the Purple Ray and Wakanda having the cure for cancer kinda killed my like for both societies since they didn't give it out to the world.

What has the outside world ever freely given Wakanda or Themyscira?

[ZNOP]

Yeah Overlap atleast the one thing they have in common is that they are both dicks to the outside world for no reason XD Between the Purple Ray and Wakanda having the cure for cancer kinda killed my like for both societies since they didn't give it out to the world.

What has the outside world ever freely given to Wakanda or Themyscira?

[Harpsikord]

What has the outside world ever freely given to Wakanda or Themyscira?

Can't say for Wakanda, but as far as Themyscira goes, it's kinda hard to give anything to a country they didn't even know existed for most of it's existence.

[DisneyWWfan]

Yeah Overlap atleast the one thing they have in common is that they are both dicks to the outside world for no reason XD Between the Purple Ray and Wakanda having the cure for cancer kinda killed my like for both societies since they didn't give it out to the world.

I'm not sure, but I think there was a Supergirl story where Wonder Woman stated the purple healing ray could not cure cancer (though I know you were referring to Wakanda). Also, the purple healing ray is easy to manipulate into a death ray. As such they don't share it with others because it could be used as a weapon against them or others.

[Darius]

I think it's mostly coincidental similarity. The idea of a "secret and advanced society" is fairly common in fiction. Certainly there are similarities between these two, and Atlantis and Avalon and probably hundreds more, but I don't know that Marvel specifically had PI in mind when they created Wakanda.

[DisneyWWfan]

The thing that really led me to theorize about this was the fact that a rare and indestructible metal were both found in these regions. After that, I saw some other similarities, but the concept that the rarest metal on each earth comes from both of these places was something I found interesting. Honestly I'm not too familiar with other fictionalized isolated societies, so I could have been making a leap that was just as obvious in that genre as superheroes wearing capes, or vigilantes wearing masks. I thought the Themyscira/Wakanda connection though had some interesting similarities, that I had never really seen discussed much.