Trevor Noah had a cameo in Black Panther that people are only just noticing
Here’s something we’ve come to realize of late: There’s always a cameo. If you’re watching a modern big-budget movie, there’s a good chance that some A-lister is hiding on the fringes, whether it be Daniel Craig and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Last Jedi, Kevin Smith in The Force Awakens, Matt Damon in Thor: Ragnarok, or [REDACTED] in Deadpool 2. It appeared, however, that Marvel’s Black Panther was the exception to this rule until one Redditor took a closer look at the film’s closing credits and noticed Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
If the name Griot doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because it wasn’t a character so much as a bit of technology. Noah’s soothing voice manifests as the AI of the Shuri-invented Wakandan ship piloted by Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross during the film’s final battle.
Noah’s cameo comes as something of a surprise when one considers that the South African host never once spoiled it during his several on-air discussions of the film. After its release, he praised the film in a monologue that found him giddy over its use of Xhosa, an official language of his native Johannesburg. “It was extra special for me because the people speak Xhosa in the movie,” he said at the time. “There were subtitles, and I was like, I don’t need your subtitles! I don’t need your subtitles! This is just for me right now! Nobody else listen! This reminds me of my mom.”
He also interviewed star Chadwick Boseman a few weeks later, during which he pointed out his love for how “Black Panther’s powers come not just from his suit, but his tradition.”
See Noah’s brief role in the film below, and gear yourself up for spotting whoever it is creeping in the bottom half of Solo’s credits.