Writing a fanfic? Want some accuracy? Here is a (mostly) headache free and reliable timeline of the MCU as well as chapters discussing specific movies and timeline controversies. Spoilers guaranteed.
Best to read introduction before leaving comments...
Film begins with T'Chaka retelling young T'Challa about the ancient origins of Wakanda, its vibranium, its conflict with the Jabari tribe, and the Black Panther legend.
Flash forward to Oakland, California, USA in 1992. N'Jobu, T'Chaka's younger brother, is in possession of stolen vibranium from Wakanda that he apparently intends to use in the L.A. riots. His right-hand man turns out to be Zuri, T'Chaka's undercover spy. T'Chaka formally arrests his brother to face trial back in Wakanda for his involvment in the theft of the vibranium. We find out later that N'Jobu's reaction was to turn on Zuri, for which T'Chaka kills him.
Flash forward to present day Nigeria. A news clip reports that Col. Zemo is in custody and that at most a week has passed since the events of CA:CW.
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{news anchor "...after a terrorist attack at the United Nations a week ago."}
However, in CA:CW T'Challa was cleanshaven. In this film he has a cultivated beard. Might be unnecessary nitpickery on my part, but unless Wakandan genes or technology grant you a lucious beard in no time at all, that's a month of beard cultivation. Maybe Black Panther abilities also make you hairy!
Other details:
— Ulysses Klaue is missing his arm, the one torn off by Ultron in AoU; 2015
— Klaue needs to steal a small piece of vibranium from a museum because Ultron forcibly bought and used all of his; 2015.
— CIA Agent Everett Ross agrees to purchase it because he needs to prove all the vibranium that destroyed Novi Grad, Sokovia came from Klaue; 2015.
— Nakia, while undercover, does not yet know T'Chaka has died.
The main storyline covers at least three days. Sticking to African time zones, the film starts at night in Nigeria, followed by Ross staying the night as he heals, followed by nighttime in Jabari Land, and climaxes with Kilmonger's last sunset. The epilogue may take place within a week to a month of Kilmonger's death scene.
There's no way yet to determine when the after-credits scene takes place, but it establishes that Bucky has been in Wakanda on his own for some time and may even take place in 2017.
Shuri is purportedly sixteen in this film, though this is not stated within the film itself. Canonically, she is referred to by M'Baku as a "child," and this is not contested by her or her family members.
