If you haven’t gone to see Captain America: Civil War yet then that probably means you haven’t seen how incredible Chadwick Boseman is as T’Challa aka The Black Panther, and it definitely means you didn’t get to see the awesome Black Panther movie teaser at the end of the show. If you did go see it, you probably laughed every time T’Challa saw Bucky, or died when he plainly stated that he is not his father, and swooned when his bodyguard (by the way, who is she someone leak her number) was prepared to fight for him. If any of those were you in the theatre then you understand why I’m extremely excited to see such a revolutionary character portrayed on the big-screen.
In the Marvel Universe T’Challa, King of Wakanda, hails from a fictional African country where he has to forge his own path to kingship, manage to protect his kingdom from enemies near and far, and fund a lot of The Fantastic Four’s adventurous endeavors. In the real world, he represents the black community as the first black superhero to ever have their own Marvel movie. What’s even more significant is that T’Challa is played by Hollywood newcomer, Chadwick Boseman, who does a phenomenal job of staying true to Panther’s aggressive loyalty and expert diplomacy; even when it comes to understanding that Bucky is just as much a victim as his father was. Not only that, but the film will be directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitville Station, Creed) and features a screenplay by Joe Robert Cole. If Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t get anything else right, at least they’ll have had a fantastic group of black men creating a movie about a fantastic black man.
In the hands of Boseman, Cole, and Coogler I have no doubt that Black Panther will be every black comic lover’s new favorite movie. The movie comes at a very great time for African Americans, as we search for representation and acceptance of who we are in the cultures around us– especially the world of superheroes. Though Marvel has always been great about representing many different cultures, races, and origins in their comics; the movie counterparts have not always been so kind. For Panther to make his first appearance alongside the much more anticipated Spider-Man, and to have been such a hit among movie goers shows that we have long been in need of more diversity in the comic-to-movie world. We’ve also been in need of proper representation in the movies that we’re in. Michael B. Jordan already showed us what great writing and character development can do for a superhero who also happens to black (seeing as he was both a troubled teen as well as a young, genius scientist) but what The Black Panther gives us is a look into what awaits in the shadows for a superhero who IS black, not one who was cast to be.
As seen with T’Challa, there was little to no problem with him being portrayed exactly as he is in the comics. From his comic accurate costume and the way he hilariously deflects Clint’s introduction to the way he politely tells Natasha and Steve that as warrior and King, it’s his personal duty to capture and kill Bucky. His strength and wherewithal are both communicated excellently in Civil War and that was just a taste of what’s to come. Preparing for 2018 will definitely be a struggle but if what we’ve seen from Civil War was an indicator it’ll definitely be worth the wait. They’ve hinted that T’Challa will be just as influential and powerful in the movie as he is in the comics, and hopefully they don’t fall through on those hints.
Marvel shows promise of cleaning up its act when it comes to proper diversity and representation of people of color in the MCU, and while they’ve had some major slip ups (whitewashing Doctor Strange’s the Ancient One and Steve kissing Peggy Carter’s niece), they’ve also handled things like Bucky’s brainwashing and Deadpool’s voices pretty decently. They’re improving, and as everyone gets ready to see what will unfold in Wakanda in the midst of a civil war– improvement is all that we can ask for.
I’d like to take this time to say, rest in peace to Agent Peggy Carter. You did not die so Steve Rogers could makeout with your niece and for ABC to cancel your show. #RIPAgentCarter
