CIA's 'Black Panther' tweets during Oscars leaves fans confused
The agency sent out a dozen or so tweets about the fictional tech in the film.
Some Twitter users were a bit confused during the Oscars on Sunday as the Central Intelligence Agency tweeted about the fictional technology behind the Marvel superhero film "Black Panther."
The agency sent out a dozen or so tweets about the science featured in the Oscar-winning film and even asked for advice on which "Black Panther" technology its 2.5 million followers would like to see used in "the real world." It also tweeted a series of photos and poll questions "to get your views on the feasibility of Wakandan technology today," referring to the fictional African nation where much of the film takes place.
The agency, which has received backlash for meddling in African affairs in past, also linked to press release from a CIA scientist named Rebecca, who it said had researched "Black Panther" communication technology.
"In #BlackPanther, a unique metal called #vibranium helped the fictional African nation of #Wakanda become the most technologically advanced country on the planet," the agency tweeted along with the Oscars hashtag. "The #vibranium in Black Panther's suit protects him from kinetic damage & vibranium sneakers are both super-quiet & amazing shock absorbers for jumping. Those would be great for spies, right? Too bad vibranium isn't real."
The bizarre live-blog racked up hundreds of likes and retweets, but the posts threw some Twitter users for a loop.
"Are you going to tweet about Santa Clause next?!! Can we just enjoy the magic of the movies," one follower asked.
"Is this for real? Too much time on your hands apparently," another user wrote.
"The CIA wants you to remember that Black Panther is a work of fiction, something we already knew from the fact that it has a CIA agent as a good guy," another wrote.
The agency called the social media event a part of its Reel vs Real series, which aims to "demystify the CIA's mission by comparing what's seen on TV to what happens in reality."
"As part of our #ReelvsRealCIA series, & in honor of the 7 #Oscars nominations for @Marvel's #BlackPanther, we're exploring how much of #Wakanda's futuristic technology is available to the real-world intelligence officers of today," the CIA tweeted at the top of this year's Academy Awards ceremony. "During tonight's #Oscars we'll ask a series of poll questions to get your views on the feasibility of Wakandan technology today & share the expertise of a top CIA scientist, 'Rebecca,' on how #Wakanda's tech matches up w/emerging "real life" tech."
"If real, which of these Wakandan technologies do you think would be the most appealing to real-world spies?" the agency added in a separate tweet.
Black Panther took home three awards on Sunday, with Ruth E. Carter winning the Oscar for best costume design and making history as the first African-American to ever win the award.
Separately, Ludvig Goransson won for best original score and Hannah Beachler won an award for her work on "Black Panther," becoming the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award in production design.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of Marvel Entertainment and of ABC News.