When Ryan Coogler was hired to direct the MCU’s first Black Panther solo movie, he surrounded the late, great Chadwick Boseman with one of Marvel’s most star-studded ensembles to date.
From casting Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as T’Challa’s on-and-off love interest to casting his close collaborator Michael B. Jordan as the villainous Killmonger, Coogler filled Black Panther’s supporting cast with some of the finest actors working today. Between them, the cast of Black Panther has appeared in some massively acclaimed movies with impressive ratings on IMDb.
Chadwick Boseman - Avengers: Infinity War (8.4)
The world suffered a devastating loss in August 2020 with the passing of Chadwick Boseman. In addition to inspiring millions of fans with his portrayal of T’Challa in the MCU, Boseman earned praise from critics and audiences alike for his poignant performances humanizing historical figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall.
Boseman’s highest-rated movie on IMDb is a different MCU installment, Avengers: Infinity War, which hit theaters on the heels of Black Panther and heavily features Wakanda and its beloved king.
Michael B. Jordan - Creed (7.6)
Leading up to Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan had appeared in all of Ryan Coogler’s movies. He played Oscar Grant, a real-life victim of police brutality, in Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, and played the title character in his follow-up movie, Creed.
A spin-off from the Rocky series focused on Apollo Creed’s estranged son’s boxing career, Creed is a classic underdog story and Jordan’s highest-rated movie on IMDb.
Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years A Slave (8.1)
Lupita Nyong’o’s role as Nakia subverted the trope of MCU love interests. Whereas the hero usually has a budding romance, T’Challa has already dated Nakia at the beginning of Black Panther. They realized their relationship wouldn’t work because he needs to be with his people in Wakanda and she’s a spy in the field, so they’re trying to be platonic friends (but the sparks are still there).
Nyong’o’s star has been on the rise ever since she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her highest-rated movie on IMDb, Steve McQueen’s harrowing historical drama 12 Years a Slave.
Martin Freeman - Shaun Of The Dead (7.9)
Martin Freeman reprises his Civil War role as CIA bureaucrat Everett K. Ross in Black Panther. After being knocked unconscious by Klaw, he’s taken back to Wakanda to be nursed back to health by Shuri.
On IMDb, Freeman’s top-rated movie is Shaun of the Dead. He only has a cameo appearance in Edgar Wright’s zombie-infested comedy, but he later played a larger role in The World’s End, the final installment of Wright’s genre-riffing Cornetto trilogy.
Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out (7.7)
Daniel Kaluuya’s breakout role in Jordan Peele’s social thriller Get Out led to the actor landing a supporting role as a double agent in Black Panther, as well as critically lauded roles in Widows, Queen & Slim, and Judas and the Black Messiah, for which he won an Oscar.
Unsurprisingly, Kaluuya’s highest-rated movie on IMDb is the groundbreaking horror masterpiece that made him a star. Before winning an Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, Kaluuya was nominated for his work in Get Out.
Angela Bassett - Life’s Essentials With Ruby Dee (8.6)
The iconic Angela Bassett couldn’t have been more perfectly cast as T’Challa’s mother Ramonda. Her status as Hollywood royalty is appropriate for the Queen Mother of Wakanda.
Bassett’s top-rated movie on IMDb is the documentary Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee. Filmmaker Muta’Ali Muhammad used the film to chronicle the lives of his actor grandparents, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Such screen legends as Alan Alda and Danny Glover appear alongside Bassett in the documentary.
Andy Serkis - The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (8.9)
Although he got to appear in live-action form with his own face in Black Panther, Andy Serkis is usually known for his motion-capture performances as computer-generated characters like Caesar, King Kong, and Supreme Leader Snoke.
This tradition began with his groundbreaking performance as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson’s three-part Tolkien-based epic is a rare film trilogy that culminates in a satisfying finale. The Return of the King is more than just a well-received threequel – it won a boatload of Oscars and it’s Serkis’ highest-rated movie on IMDb.
Letitia Wright - Avengers: Endgame (8.4)
T’Challa’s sister Shuri was played by Letitia Wright, who had previously left an impression on audiences with her turn in the self-aware Black Mirror episode “Black Museum.”
Wright’s highest-rated movie on IMDb is Avengers: Endgame, in which she reprised her role as Shuri alongside just about everybody else from the history of the MCU for the final battle.
Forest Whitaker - Platoon (8.1)
It was fitting for Forest Whitaker to fill the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque mentor role in Black Panther, because he’s one of the most seasoned and prolific actors in Hollywood. According to IMDb, Whitaker has more than 100 acting credits to his name.
The one with the highest rating is Oliver Stone’s powerful Vietnam War epic Platoon, based on the director’s own wartime experiences when he was drafted.