Black Panther, King of the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda, made his mighty cinematic debut in Captain America: Civil War. T'Challa (his birth name) is now stepping out to be the hero in his very own highly-anticipated solo film starring an impressive cast with Chadwick Bosemen as the titular character and Creed's Michael B. Jordan as the villain Erik Killmonger. Director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) has promised fans a fresh film that sticks close to its comic book roots and African culture.
Among the many standalone superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we're already curious as to how Coogler is going to make Black Panther unique compared to the other movies. Because Black Panther has only just made the jump to the big screen, he already has an advantage over other properties featuring well-established superheroes (Captain America, Hulk) in the MCU. Each MCU film we've seen so far somehow has nonetheless managed to have its own style and tone, keeping the larger franchise interesting and attractive to the moviegoing public.
In an interview with Comic Book, Ryan Coogler explained how his Black Panther movie will be different from anything we've ever seen:
"I think the answer is in a couple of things: who T'Challa is as a character, that's kind of what you see with each Marvel film. The answer is with who that guy is like with Captain America, he was a guy that was running around in World War II and that's what the film started off as and they brought him out of the ice and it was about this dude who was brought into this technological, digital world. So, with this we start with who T'Challa is. He's a African King, he inherited his throne, and that's the most important thing about him if you ask him. That's the biggest job that he has and how that effects his personal life and how that effects the country that he's in charge of, it kind of lends itself to its own story that is so different from anything that we've ever seen."
From what Coogler is saying, the difference between Black Panther and other MCU films lies within the character of Black Panther himself. T'Challa is noticeably different than any superhero that's been put up on the big screen before, as noted by Coggler. He's quite popular with comic book readers, but not very well-known to general audiences. Being the first African superhero to snag his own film alone, Black Panther is sure to give Marvel fans something unique and original to look forward to.
Since the after-credits scene in Captain America: Civil War, audiences have been left wanting to see Wakanda in full following the glimpse offered in Civil War. Coogler, who has such a personal investment in this project, is argubly the perfect director to take us there, too.
NEXT: Lupita Nyong'o Offers Black Panther Plot Details
Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming following July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet-untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: Comic Book