Black Panther has obviously been one of the most successful movies this year, as it has surprised everyone with the wonders it has done ever since it came out. It has already grossed $1 Billion at the worldwide box office and is the highest rated comic book movie of all time, and it has broken many other records and myths like people of color cannot lead a movie to huge success.
Marvel hired Ryan Coogler (Creed) to direct the Black Panther solo movie and he totally nailed each and every aspect of the movie. He was also the first Black guy to have ever been at the helm of a big-budget Marvel movie. He assured fans that it will not be an origin story of Black Panther as actor Chadwick Boseman had already been introduced into the MCU in Captain America: Civil War where he sided with Team Iron Man as he wanted to take down Winter Soldier as he found out that he was the one who carried out massive explosion at the UN which took the life of his father T’Chaka. Instead, the movie focused on the challenges he faced after he was anointed as the King of Wakanda aka Black Panther. Here’s what Ryan Coogler 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?'”
On one hand, Black Panther movie is a smashing hit and has definitely paved a way for a sequel, on the other hand, things in the comics have also been going great for the Panther, since ‘Rise of the Black Panther’ is retelling the story of Wakanda, in the wake of the movie also coming out just recently. This comic story has been focussing on the young days of T’Challa when he first became the protector and the ruler of Wakanda. The second issue of the comic retold how T’Challa and Namor met and fought, probably hinting at an idea of bringing him as a villain in Black Panther sequel.
And now, Black Panther has met someone we have already seen him take on in Captain America: Civil War. As we know, that the only person T’Challa swore to kill in Civil War was Bucky. And now the comic reveals the first encounter of Bucky and T’Challa. We saw them sparring against each other, and as much as we would like to see these two individuals take on each other again on the big screen, it will not happen again. But we still have the Marvel comics for us to see that.
In the third issue of the comic, the story of T’Challa follows after he has done meeting Namor, and is back to business. This issue shows the time when the young T’Challa announced the existence of Wakanda to the entire world, coming out of shadows. This is what has happened in the movie recently, so the writers are trying to make the comics similar to the elements that the movie took in, and this is obviously attracting more people to the comics and the movies alike.
With Wakanda coming out and interacting with the open world, many Superheroes like Iron Man, Luke Cage, and many others are all surprised to see the existence of a Superpower like Wakanda. In the meantime, all the delegates from the United Nations head to the secluded nation for the first time to attend a meeting. While all this happens, a mystery man also teleports into this African nation when the gates to Wakanda opened. This mysterious assailant is none other than Hydra’s number one mind-controlled assassin, the Winter Soldier.
Winter Soldier arrives completely cloaked, and when he does, T’Challa dons his suit which is an old Black Panther design mixed with the purple accents we saw recently in the movie, as this suit also seems to be working on Kinetic Energy. When Panther is suited up and all ready to take down the assassin sent by Hydra, he finds out that this invisible assailant is the Winter Soldier who was formally known as Bucky Barnes. The two then enter into an epic brawl, but T’Challa is ultimately able to take him down and even make him lucid. Hydra upon learning about Bucky’s defeat teleports him back to them alongside his accomplice.
This was totally a set up for the White Wolf, that we recently saw happening in the post-credits scene of the movie. Certainly, the comic story is being inspired more with the MCU so that more and more people are interested in it and they can relate to it better. Hopefully, they keep doing the same with the upcoming issues, as this one ends with a great surprise.
Bucky’s entry in Wakanda though is not a big surprise for the fans, as the comic issue ends with a shocking twist, and the readers see Doctor Doom sitting on T’Challa’s throne. The upcoming issue is going to be insane by the looks of it. Also, during all this action, this new story has also been setting up a new origin story for Erik Killmonger. The comics and the movie have both surprised the fans.
Black Panther is currently running in the theatres, go watch it if you haven’t. 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 along with other supporting characters such as Shuri, Nakia, Okoye, Dora Milaje etc. will be seen fighting alongside ‘Secret Avengers’ led by Steve Rogers aka Nomad Cap (although the term Nomad will not be used) against Thanos’ Black Order and blood-thirsty Outriders who are ruthless alien invaders and whose only purpose is to conquer worlds for the Mad Titan. The Mad Titan’s invasion has begun and all superheroes have to come together to ensure the survival of mankind and save the day before its too late.
Here is the plot synopsis of upcoming Avengers Infinity War released by the Marvel Studios:
“Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment”.
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