The series originated from a deal announced in February 2021 between Disney and Ryan Coogler's Proximity Media, initially conceived as a live-action drama series set in Wakanda before evolving into an animated anthology.

Showrunner Todd Harris, a former Marvel Studios storyboard artist, first conceived the story while working on storyboards for Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and pitched it to Ryan Coogler, who was then in production on the first Black Panther film.

The project went through working titles including 'The Golden City,' a reference to the Wakandan capital Birnin Zana, before being officially announced as Eyes of Wakanda in December 2023.

Marvel Studios reportedly spent nearly $20 million between June 2022 and June 2023 on the animated series believed to be Eyes of Wakanda.

Unlike Marvel Animation's earlier series such as What If...? and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which take place in alternate universes, Eyes of Wakanda is set within the MCU's main 'Sacred Timeline,' giving it stronger ties to the film franchise.

Ryan Coogler's interest in the historical Sea Peoples, a group known for raiding around 1200 BC, inspired the writers to imagine them as being led by Wakandans wielding their advanced technology and tactics.

The series uses a hand-painted animation style influenced by contemporary African-American artists such as Ernie Barnes—whose work inspired the characters' exaggerated proportions—as well as illustrator Dean Cornwell.

Showrunner Todd Harris said the ambitious, globe- and time-spanning series could only have been realistically made through animation, noting that 'Egypt costs just as much as New York City, and the Moon costs just as much as Ohio.'

Composer Hesham Nazih scored the series after previously working on the Marvel Studios series Moon Knight (2022); the soundtrack was released on August 8, 2025.

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating based on 34 reviews, while Metacritic gave the series a weighted score of 72 out of 100 based on 10 critics.

Following the release of all four episodes, FlixPatrol ranked Eyes of Wakanda as the number one show on Disney+ across all available markets as of August 4, 2025.