It is Black Panther's turn to grace the cover of EW's Comic-Con issue, with T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) featured front and center. Following Boseman's debut in Captain America: Civil War, audiences have been anxiously awaiting any new information on his upcoming solo film. It is set to be the first MCU film out the gate in 2018 and the final one to hit theaters before Avengers: Infinity War. Even with that positioning, this looks to be a film focused solely on Wakanda and their new king.
Even though he is the lead, Boseman has the luxury of not having to carry the entire weight of the film on his shoulders alone. Marvel has surrounded him with one of their most impressive casts assembled to date. Many of those actors were highlighted in the first Black Panther trailer, and now Boseman is joined by two of his biggest cast members on EW's cover.
EW has officially released the cover of their new Comic-Con issue, with Black Panther being given the opportunity to be featured prominently. Boseman is pictured directly in the middle in his Vibranium enhanced suit (without the helmet), and has Nyong'o standing tall on the right, with Killmonger sitting a few steps below on the left - making a nice parallel to their stature in Wakanda.
Director Ryan Coogler also spoke about the political nature of the film that the photo could be alluding to. T'Challa is the rightful heir to Wakanda's throne, but Killmonger also wants to hold that title as well. It is thanks to this dynamic that Coogler believes Black Panther does a great job at not defining who the "good guy" is in this story:
In this movie, a lot like politics, it’s a little tricky to define who’s [a good guy]. The film very much plays with those concepts, looking at conflicts and different motivations, and who’s with who.
With Black Panther having this prominent position leading up to San Diego Comic-Con next weekend, it further shows that the film will have a major presence. Marvel made headlines with Black Panther last year at SDCC by confirming both Jordan and Nyong'o, along with Danai Gurira as Okoye, for the film. With the entire cast already confirmed and filming completed, it is very possible that most of the buzz around Black Panther will come from SDCC exclusive footage. Marvel just released the first trailer a few weeks back, so they are not expected to debut another one. But, if Marvel wants Black Panther to make headlines around the world, surely they could find some way to make that happen.
NEXT: Black Panther Trailer Breakdown & Analysis
Source: EW
