Captain America: Civil War witnessed the cinematic debut of Black Panther. The character is played by the renowned actor Chadwick Boseman. His name is T’Challa, the son of King T’Chaka, ruler of Wakanda who was killed in Captain America: Civil War.
Black Panther’s official trailer was launched a few weeks ago by Marvel Studios, and that was followed by the launch of individual posters of various characters. Now they have unveiled a fresh poster featuring all the lead characters from the upcoming film. Check it out here:
Shown below are the individual character posters for those who haven’t seen them before:
Ramonda
T’Challa’s mother and his main adviser, Ramonda is present to guide her son to follow in the footsteps of her late husband.
Okoye
Okoye is someone who takes pride in the traditions and heads a superior all-female warrior squad called the Dora Milaje. Danai Gurira (Michonne from The Walking Dead) is playing this role.
Shuri
The princess of Wakanda and the sister of King T’Challa, Shuri is a creator, and in the comics we see her become the first female Black Panther ever.
Nakia
The ex-lady love of T’Challa is an undercover member of Dora Milaje. The character is brought to life on screen by the Oscar-winner Lupita Nyon’o.
W’Kabi
W’Kabi is the head of the border tribe which forms the first line of defense for Wakanda. Daniel Kaluuya is playing W’Kabi who also happens to be a good friend and confidant of the King T’Challa.
Zuri
Zuri is a statesman who also happens to be the spiritual and religious leader of the Wakandan kingdom. He grows the special herb which gives T’Challa his powers. The character is played by Forest Whitaker.
M’Baku
The leader of The Jubari, a mountain tribe worshipping gorilla gods unlike the panther god, M’Baku heads a religious tribe which was against the coronation of T’Challa. The actor Winston Duke (Person of Interest) is playing this character.
Everett K. Ross
Everett K. Ross is a part of the Joint Counter Terrorism Center, and the character is portrayed on screen by Martin Freeman (The Hobbit).
Erik Killmonger
The nemesis of T’Challa, Erik Killmonger is the bad guy in this film. He is someone after the throne of Wakanda and to accomplish his sinister plans; he joins hands with Ulysses Klaue to unleash a plan to cause chaos in Wakanda. The character is played by Michael B. Jordan.
Ulysses Klaue
Ulysses Klaue is a smuggler who attacks Wakanda to capture the expensive Vibranium ore. He is working in tandem with Eric Killmonger to dethrone T’Challa.
Black Panther / T’Challa
T’Challa is a genius, a remarkable strategist, scientist and tactician who has a unique combat style merging acrobatics and animal moves. The character is played by Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther wears a Vibranium (world’s strongest metal) suit. Vibranium is the same material from which Captain America’s shield is made. T’Challa is also known as “King of the dead” in the brand new Marvel comics, which enables him to utilize the experiences and the abundance of knowledge of all the former Black Panthers. In one instance, he and Namor found out the hiding spot of Dr. Strange where he had kept hidden a fully ready gauntlet. He used it to battle doom, won easily and then returned in time.
The film will also depict his mourning the death of his father. During an earlier interview, Chadwick Boseman had said:
“It’s funny because, on the one hand, the Marvel movies that I’ve liked the most are the ones that are funny. I love Ant-Man. But for me, most of the time the darker superhero movies are the ones that I gravitate towards, that I love the most. So I’m glad that I’m not in an Ant-Man. I’m glad that the tone of the movie may be a little grittier. I just wanted to establish that from the beginning, that’s what we were doing. That that’s what I intend to do. I feel like we’ll end up in a place that I’ve always wanted to be when I look at superhero movies. Those are the ones I like the most. It’s exciting to do that.”
The Russo Brothers felt that there was no need to film scenes related to the origin story because he is already the Black Panther and is all set to become the King of Wakanda in the upcoming solo movie. During an interview with Complex, the Marvel Studio executive Moore, showed his desire to gloss over the origin story. He said:
“What’s great is that people have already met Chadwick Boseman in Civil War, so now we get to jump in feet first without having to tell a more traditional origin story. We meet him as his world is changing. Black Panther takes place right after the events of Civil War, so T’Challa’s father has just been killed, he has returned home to Wakanda, and T’Challa has to navigate potentially becoming the new ruler of this nation. He never intended to become the king for years because he figured his dad would be around for a long time. T’Chaka’s death is, in a lot of ways, the catalyst for everything that’s happening in Black Panther.”
The film’s story revolves around the Black Panther’s handling of events after the Civil War and his coronation as the King. This is what he told Entertainment Weekly:
“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. What makes him different from other superheroes first and foremost is he doesn’t see himself as a superhero. He sees himself as a politician. That’s the first thing on his mind when he wakes up in the morning: ‘How am I going to fulfill my duties as king of this place?’”
The Black Panther trailer confirmed that Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordon) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) would come together and Killmonger will challenge the King T’Challa. Chadwick Boseman has said that Killmonger is the extreme opposite of T’Challa.
The villain believes that he is the rightful claimant to the title of Black Panther which has been denied to him. He tries to instigate a war between UN and Wakanda. The latest photos show the fight between the two at Warrior Falls and the Killmonger gang fighting the Dora Milaje. It was also disclosed that the Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes is resurrected from the ice and will play a supporting role in the battle.
By the looks of it, a crazy ride is waiting for the Marvel fans at Wakanda. The ride begins on February 16, 2018.
