Since the Marvel Universe got started with Iron Man (2008) and some arguably attribute it to Blade, they’ve released blockbuster after blockbuster. Some were better than others and they all still made a lot of money for Marvel/Disney. But I hadn’t seen interest in a superhero film like Black Panther since they were announcing The Avengers (2012). Maybe I hadn’t been paying attention as much as I should have but the interest in a Wakanda king dressed as a cat wouldn’t have sparked much interest unless Marvel’s creative marketing team hadn’t assembled the way it should. Before getting into the movie, here’s how it breaks down:
In 2015’s second Avenger’s film, Age of Ultron, came on the scene, we were introduced to Ultron, a robot that was pretty much smarter than it should be and is the creation of what the Terminator movies were all about. When he formed a new body, he made it out of a rare metal, vibranium: an alloy only found in Wakanda. This was the beginning of the attachment to Black Panther considering that’s where the character is from. The interest from us comic nerds were piqued. In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, we were introduced to T’Challa, the prince of Wakanda who had recently been upgraded after his father was killed. This introduced the actual character, Black Panther into the Marvel cinematic universe and fans were thrilled!
Now, let’s get into 2018’s Black Panther where we see T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) go home after a mission that involved his ex, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o). He alerted her of his upcoming kinghood and invited her to the ceremony. Hesitant, as some exes would be, she went along. The entire ceremony of becoming King of Wakanda was exciting to see on the big screen. The fictional African country is protected from outsiders much like Themyscira to the Amazons and Wonder Woman. This has kept them isolated and in full 100% control of the alien mineral, vibranium; which allows them to be fully-powered and harness extremely advanced technology. T’Challa’s sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is younger and their banter shows a lighter side of the king. They feed off of each other in sibling banter establishing great character development. Oh…she’s also a complete genius and designed much of Wakanda’s tech.
The characters are introduced as individuals who help empower T’Challa and support him in his new mission as King. His body guards, the Dora Milaje are modeled after Kenyan Masai warriors. They’re all female with bald heads and are advanced in weapons and fighting. Led by general Okoye (Danai Gurira) who is bound by the kingdom of Wakanda, her skills are almost more advanced than the King himself.
Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) is back with a weaponized hand after Ultron ripped it off and it’s packed with Wakandan tech. As established in AoU, he’s the only outsider to have seen the Vibranium. But now, he has someone working with him: a young American hell-bent on getting to Wakanda himself: Erik Kilmonger (Michael B. Jordan). His connection to the story is deeper than usual and his intentions are shown as well as his determination. Black Panther will need to use every skill he needs to go up against someone like Kilmonger: who has waited his entire life for a shot at the Wakandan title.
The entire storyline is totally unique to what Marvel is used to. Drea called it a Greek tragedy and to me, I saw a dynamic that occurs in the Black existence between Black Americans and African struggles. The way they did it was in reverse, though. Reflecting on the movie makes me wonder what our African cousins go through and what more Black Americans can do to help. You’d have to see the movie to understand what I’m talking about. The struggle between who you’re loyal to and why also comes up and there probably won’t be some characters in Black Panther 2.
[spoiler..but not really] In the end, you have your two scenes Marvel is so good at posting up. Make sure you stay for both of them since the final one makes an appearance after Shuri makes a wisecrack at seeing Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) for the first time. That sounds like a spoiler but it isn’t.
The CGI is beautiful and there are plenty of fight scenes. Although Black Panther had some good moves, it was the well-timed comedic areas in such serious scenes that kept interest and fell in love with the characters. Our podcast about representation mattering hits home with this film. There are probably three non-Black faces and unless you’re reallllly looking for it, it’s not noticeable since the storyline, graphics, color, and beauty takes precedence. In other words, a lot of Black people in a fantasy movie is relatable to everybody. Check it out and let me know if I’m wrong.
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