Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

USDA Removes Fictional Wakanda, Home To Marvel's Black Panther, From List Of U.S. Free Trade Partners

Many bizarre headlines in the last three years have blurred the line between reality and fiction.

As the year draws to a close, it appears 2019 is not quite finished in leaving us dumbfounded with yet another head-scratcher.


Those wanting an endless supply of virbranium without imposed tariffs can rejoice, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's tariff tracker listed Wakanda as a free trade partner.

Cue the record scratch.

Wakanda, of course, is the fictional African homeland of the Black Panther – the character from the 2018 Marvel movie and comic book of the same name.

Also, vibranium is the made-up metallic resource indigenous to the country known to absorb and release a huge burst of kinetic energy.

But all good things came to an end as the USDA cited a testing glitch and removed the wondrous African nation from the list on Wednesday.

Wakanda's inclusion as a free trade partner was first spotted sometime after June 10.

USDA spokesperson Mike Illenberg admitted to NBC reporter Phil McCausland that the agriculture department had been conducting tests on the tracking system and forgot to remove the placeholder country.

"Over the past few weeks, the Foreign Agricultural Service staff who maintain the Tariff Tracker have been using test files to ensure that the system is running properly."

Dreams were quashed as superhero hopefuls wanting to construct homemade costumes incorporating the powerful (and very much fake) metal were snapped back into reality.

Illenberg added:

"The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down."

Francis Tseng, a New York-based software engineer, first noticed the fictional listing as he was looking up agricultural tariffs while applying for a fellowship.

Here is a screenshot for a clearer view, with Wakanda being highlighted in black in the lower-left corner.

@frnsys/Twitter

Tseng followed up the tweet with another screenshot of a list detailing all the goods we apparently traded with our "partner nation," including buffalo, swine, goats, and sheep.

The goods were specific, like "live asses," "cows imported for dairy purposes" and "chickens weighing not over 185 g each."

@frnsys/Twitter


His immediate reaction to seeing Wakanda on the list was confusion, and it made him question its existence.

He told Reuters:

"[I] thought I misremembered the country from the movie and got it confused with something else."

The USDA's gaffe was a prime opportunity for roasting with plenty of vibranium references.








The USDA got in on the mockery by expressing solidarity with Wakanda.

Not everyone was amused by the levity, but most were generally on board with the department's acknowledgement of the snafu.




The fictional country of Wakanda is a location created by Marvel Comics and first appeared in issue #52 of the Fantastic Four in July 1966.

It made its resurgence with films tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Although our world's briefly collided in this realm, we will never forget our imagined relationship with Wakanda.

Wakanda forever!

Giphy

More from News

Donald Trump; Superman (2025) poster
Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures

White House Blasted After Portraying Trump As Superman In Bonkers Poster Mock-up

The White House was mercilessly mocked online after it posted a revised poster for the latest Superman film that features President Donald Trump as the Man of Steel.

The latest big screen adaptation of the famed superhero comic, Superman, was directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as the titular superhero, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The film has received positive reviews and has already made an estimated $2.8 million from Tuesday previews for a total $21 million, including Thursday previews.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Charlie Kirk
Real America's Voice

MAGA Influencer Charlie Kirk Called Out After Blaming DEI For High Death Toll In Texas Flooding Disaster

Turning Point USA founder and MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk was harshly criticized after he claimed the death toll in the flash floods that have devastated central Texas "would not have been as high if it wasn't for DEI," ridiculously suggesting that principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion were responsible.

Kirk's comments are reflective of President Donald Trump’s broader push to dismantle federal programs focused on diversity and inclusion—part of what he pledged in his inaugural address would be a campaign to stop attempts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

Keep ReadingShow less

People Reveal The Dark Secrets They Discovered About Someone After They Died

Sometimes you never know who someone is until they're gone.

Everyone has their secrets.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters; Hakeem Jeffries
Fox News; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jesse Watters Pathetically Tries To Burn Hakeem Jeffries With Bizarre 'Rule For Men' Rant

Fox News personality Jesse Watters was widely mocked after he criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for having recently shared a photo of himself on Instagram that appeared to be digitally altered—with the bench he was leaning against noticeably warped around his hips.

You can see Jeffries' photo below.

Keep ReadingShow less
Snoop Dogg
Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images

Snoop Dogg's Puppy Instagram Breaks Internet

Snoop Dogg introduced his fans to the newest little bow-wow in his household, a puppy named Baby Boy Broadus.

The adorable small tan French bulldog made his debut on the rapper’s Instagram account on June 28th, sporting a Louis Vuitton leash and chewing on his owner’s Death Row Jacket.

Keep ReadingShow less