T’Challa aka Black Panther is the King of Wakanda and is one of the most powerful and wealthiest superheroes in Marvel universe. He is a brilliant tactician and master strategist who is well equipped to protect his people from external threats. He has a unique fighting style where he incorporates acrobatics and animal mimicry. He wears a suit made of world’s strongest metal Vibranium found in plenty at Wakanda. In the new suit, Vibranium is woven into it in such a way that it can absorb and redistribute energy while glowing stripes reflect that it can be re-used against his opponents.
The character of Black Panther was introduced in Captain America: Civil War where he lost his father King Ta-Shaka in an explosion ar UN building where he was a delegate attending the signing of Sokovia accords. He traced it to Winter soldier who carried out the attacks at the behest of Baron Zemo who was mind controlling him.
The upcoming Black Panther solo movie is directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed) who is the first Black man ever to be at the helm of a major Marvel film. He hinted that the traditional origin story will be skipped altogether. Here is what 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.”
He added:
“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?'”
Black Panther is right upon our heads and there is not much time left for the release of Avengers: Infinity War as well. People are excited for both these movies as Black Panther already had a premiere and the critics embargo also lifted yesterday, and all that people and critics have to say about the movie is nothing but the massive amount of praise. Infinity War will be an even bigger event since it will be in the aftermath of Black Panther itself.
As we saw in the Infinity War trailers that Black Panther and Wakanda will be heavily featured in Infinity War as well, it is no surprise that many Infinity War characters will also show up in the upcoming Superhero ensemble. Many of these have even been featured in the trailers already, as we saw the Wakandan army and Dora Milaje already fighting beside the Avengers against the siege of Wakanda which is said to be led by a member of the Black Order, Cull Obsidian.
Recently, one of the fans spotted what you may call a minor spoiler in the first Infinity War trailer. The trailer took everyone by a storm as it revealed so much about the movie that fans even did not expect to see. Still, there was a fact which was not yet pinpointed by anyone, and this fan pointed it out, and you may or may not find it as a spoiler, but for some fans, Black Panther’ does sort of get spoiled.
This fan marked a still from the Infinity War trailer in his tweet. He pointed out M’Baku aka Man-Ape standing alongside Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), his Wakandan army, Cap (Chris Evans) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan). Very rightly said by this fan that M’Baku is presented as a challenger to the Wakandan Throne against T’Challa in Black Panther. It was indeed a blink and missed a shot from the trailer but it has now been brought into the light.
Now, Winston Duke, who plays M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari tribe has now confirmed this fact as he revealed that he will, in fact, be reprising his of Man-Ape in Avengers: Infinity War as well. Here’s what he said in his latest interview:
“I can tell you that, … [M’Baku] plays a big role in Wakanda’s story in that film, and the role that Wakanda plays in the Avengers: Infinity War. He will be tested, as you can suspect, with Thanos coming and doing his thing. You’re going to like what you see, it’s going to be epic.”
Duke went on to praise the movie and what Coogler and team did all together and said that Wakanda will have its fallout in Infinity War.
“Black Panther’s revolutionary and then the world and all the things Wakanda creates, all that is tested in Infinity War,”
Here’s what the character bio says:
“Armed with hardened Jabari wood armor and a battle staff, M’Baku is the formidable leader of the Jabari tribe, a group of Wakandans who have shunned the use of vibranium and removed themselves from mainstream Wakandan life. In the wake of T’Chaka’s death, M’Baku is faced with the choice of challenging T’Challa for the throne, or joining forces with his would-be adversary to defend Wakanda from malevolent outside forces.”
In the comics, M’Baku is typically portrayed as a villain who attempted to usurp T’Challa’s throne, where he openly challenged T’Challa’s right to rule. As a frequent enemy of Black Panther, M’Baku was later exiled from Wakanda and he joined up with supervillain teams Villains for Hire and the Masters of Evil, where he was opposed by the Avengers.
So, M’Baku is clearly being set up as an antagonist in the Black Panther movie. But, in the events of Black Panther, he seems to be more of a rival who disagrees with the direction T’Chaka and T’Challa have taken the country as he prefers to return to isolation and not get the country involved a lot with the rest of the world.
But according to this still from the trailer, he appears to have joined forces with T’Challa and come to some sort of understanding in the wake of the threat that Thanos brings to Wakanda and this entire planet. So this could mean that M’Baku and T’Challa might either resolve their issues in ‘Black Panther’ or M’Baku may realise that he is wrong and accept T’Challa as the king of Wakanda, or even T’Challa could recruit him to fight against Thanos and his army since they would need everyone to fight against the threat that bestows upon them. So, this sounds great and M’Baku seems to be one of the main characters in the upcoming Black Panther.
Chadwick Boseman aka Black Panther is very excited before the release of the movie. He was asked about his experiences and he had this to say:
“It’s funny because, on 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.”
Here is the official synopsis released by the Marvel studios, read it below:
“After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and as Black Panther — gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people”.
Black Panther opens in theaters on February 16 and Avengers: Infinity War will open on May 4.
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