Black Panther has always been a fascinating character to me, he is the son of a man who puts extraordinary pressure on him to always do the right thing for his people. The concept of noble sacrifice is what makes him function. Given the choice between letting himself, or even his friends, suffer or saving his people, he will always do what is best for his people, his nation, his tribe. It is one of the things that I have always admired about him, and unlike other Avengers, he is an actual king and has to live in that royal political climate as well as trying to keep the peace seemingly everywhere.
When I first saw him in Civil War, I was exhilarated and ebullient that Marvel was bold enough to put such a complex character into a franchise already inundated with colorful personalities. I worried that he would get lost in the mix. Now that he is getting his own film, set in Africa, where he will be able to really explore the depths of what it means to be T’Challa, I am hopeful that Stan the Man’s creation will get the respect he deserves.
While I didn’t read any of his standalone books, Black Panther was always popping up in some of the few comics that I actually did read. If you recall from past articles, I didn’t read many comics growing up, but I loved all the super heroes in my own way, mainly by playing “Marvel Super Heroes RPG” and watching umpteen cartoons on Saturdays and even into adulthood. So, I can’t speak to the veracity of how accurate this “page to screen” featurette is, but I see the core concept of what makes T’Challa special is indeed captured.
And I would be lying if I said I wasn’t influenced by his awesome costume, which is basically just a bad ass ninja suit with claws. What’s not to love?
Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, with Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole wrote the screenplay. Marvel Studios’ Black Panther hits U.S. theaters on February 16, 2018.
