When Marvel Studios started their Marvel Cinematic Universe aka MCU and eventually turned it into a multi-billion dollar entity, no one expected that Marvel could go any better than this. And then in 2018, they actually did. Marvel had promised that they will be making a movie on Black Panther. They did not fail to deliver. Chadwick Boseman starred as the titular character in his own solo movie after having his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War. The Black Panther movie will always be remembered as a cultural masterpiece and a Box Office juggernaut. There are a lot of fans of this movie but there are still facts about it surfacing right now that would surprise even the most diehard of fans. How about this one – Marvel Studios’ original plan was for Wakandans to have British Accents!!!
Black Panther had it all – a rich history, a masterfully portrayed hidden world of Wakanda and above all correct portrayals of the African culture without encroaching on any stereotypical foundations. Chadwick Boseman was critically acclaimed for his portrayal of the Character of T’Challa. It was as if he was born for this role. The action sequences were also badass. The movie’s plotline may have been a bit cliché but all it matters in a superhero storyline is the hero and the villain and how deep their convictions truly are. Black Panther ticked off all the right points and hence entered the coveted Billion dollar club in Box office Earnings.
Whenever Boseman or any Wakandan national spoke, it was with a slight Saharan accent that filled the screens with a new vigor. It also added to the depth of the sub plots and the scenes that portrayed emotional turmoil throughout the movie. For example, T’Challa’s father’s death scene and his eventual reunion with his son in the Nation’s ancestral land of the dead was something to behold. Everyone loved the fact that Disney chose Wakanda to have its own unique identity without having to indulge in the typical white-washing of characters that Hollywood is rather infamous for since time immemorial.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Boseman reveals that the Wakandan accent element almost never happened. The Studio wanted the people of Wakanda to speak in a British accent instead of the one we heard in the movie. This was actually a fault on Disney’s part that was fough head on by Chadwick Boseman. He went against the top management and ensured that Wakanda has n influences from any colonial powers. Boseman made sure that Wakanda has its own unique identity. He says and we quote:
They felt that it was maybe too much for an audience to take. I felt the exact opposite — like, if I speak with a British accent, what’s gonna happen when I go home? It felt to me like a deal-breaker. I was like, ‘No, this is such an important factor that if we lose this right now, what else are we gonna throw away for the sake of making people feel comfortable?’
So there you have it. The revered Mouse House is not so righteous after all. Had it not been for Boseman, Wakanda would have become the subject of intense socio-political debates if Wakandans spoke with a British Accent. It was only due to Boseman that we got the Wakanda we all deserve and not the Wakanda the racist Hollywood overlords would want us to believe in. It does not matter if Wakanda is just a fictional colony. Once you go black, you can never go back. And all thanks to this guy, Marvel Studios learned it the hard way. GO CHADWICK BOSEMAN!!!!
Black Panther last appeared in Avengers Infinity War. The official synopsis for the movie reads:
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.
