A few years ago, I was skeptical about seeing “The Avengers.” I had originally wanted to see a Madea movie, so I went in thinking it wouldn’t be that interesting. Yet, I was surprised to find out that I actually enjoyed it. So, when I heard out that there was another installment coming out this year, I first watched “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” so that I could keep up, then I went to see “Captain America: Civil War.” Although there are a few others movies in between these two, I got the gist of what was going on before seeing “Civil War” and I liked it.
I especially liked the inclusion of a Black character who had his own special powers and his own special customs. His superhero name is Black Panther, but he is T’Challa of Wakanda. During “Age of Ultron,” I was a little bothered by Ulysses Klaue’s theft of Wakandan natural resources, as it highlighted the uncomfortable history of Europeans stealing Africa’s natural resources for European’s own personal gain. Klaue was stealing Wakandan vibranium, which some say is code for South African uranium.
However, as I was watching “Captain America: Civil War,” I saw the connection between those actions and the emergence of Black Panther. Since Black Panther is from Wakanda, his suit is made of vibranium and The Avengers helped to stop Klaue from his oppressive operations. However, this was back in “Age of Ultron.” In “Civil War,” we see that Captain America’s longtime friend Bucky, under the influence of Baron Zemo, kills T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father. So, T’Challa plots to kill Bucky, only to find out that Bucky was not in control of his actions.
In “Age of Ultron,” Wanda, a new and inexperienced Avenger, caused the destruction of an entire city, which included the death of Baron Zemo’s father, wife, and son. Because Zemo knew he couldn’t take the Avengers out himself, he pitted them against each other by digging up a secret code that would turn Bucky, Captain America’s war buddy, into a trained assassin.
Then, the Avengers had opposing views on whether or not there should’ve been more government intervention in their operations, so the split was fairly easy. Captain America wanted fewer regulations and took Bucky’s side after Bucky had killed T’Challa’s father. Iron Man and his allies, which would include T’Challa, were on the other side.
However, T’Challa eventually learns that Bucky was not in control of his actions since Zemo was manipulating Bucky. T’Challa prepares to kill Zemo but grants him mercy:
T’Challa thwarts Zemo’s suicide attempt and tells Zemo, “The living is not done with you yet,” which is a hint that Zemo could possibly return in “Black Panther.” This was just the introduction to “Black Panther,” though. In his own movie, we are expected to see more of his life in Wakanda. Although the comic predated the rise of the Black Panther party, the comic version of “Black Panther” had run-ins with the KKK, which was aligned with the times.
Perhaps in “Black Panther” we’ll see run-ins with modern white militia groups or white supremacist establishments. If Ryan Coogler follows the example of the times, “Black Panther” might touch on some of the public outcries we’ve heard from the Black Lives Matter movement. The movie is set to come out in 2018 and I pessimistically suspect that the story won’t have changed much since.
Judging by the casting, this is going to be a movie to watch. Of course, Chadwick Boseman, the hottie who played Black Panther in “Civil War,” will take the lead as Black Panther in this movie. Alongside him are Lupita N’yongo and Michael B. Jordan, two Black film stars who stole our hearts recently – Lupita with her powerful role in “12 Years A Slave” and Jordan in his starring roles in “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed.” Also, we’ll see Danai Gurira, who plays on the “Walking Dead.”
According to Movie Pilot, we’ll have to look out for breakout roles from Lupita and Danai in the film, who’ll play Nakia and Okoye, respectively. Nakia and Okoye are two women serving in “the Dora Milaje,” which is a Wakandian phrase for “the adored ones.” They are “a highly skilled elite team surrounding the King of Wakanda” who have taken out plenty of bad guys. We met one of these “adored ones” in “Civil War” when she had a standoff with Black Widow.
From what I’ve read, “Black Panther” will be a movie to see with some fighting, some women’s empowerment, some Black empowerment, some strained love sequences, and some avenging.
