Since its inception, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has played host to a great many superheroes – be they reluctant or brash – but a super anti-hero? With the release of 2018’s Black Panther, lead star Chadwick Boseman believes Ryan Coogler’s spinoff could herald the MCU’s first bona fide anti-hero in a central role.
Word comes by way of Entertainment Weekly, after catching up with Boseman during the ongoing Toronto Film Festival. It was here that the actor, in town to trumpet the arrival of Message from the King, solicited a handful of questions regarding Black Panther.
With a July 2018 currently in place, Boseman was understandably guarded, but did touch base on the would-be King of Wakanda: “This is an anti-hero, sort of,” the Civil War star told EW. “I feel like although he is a superhero, he is a super anti-hero.”
While we don’t foresee T’Challa descending into full-blown villain mode anytime soon, relative to the remainder of the MCU and its legions of heroes, Boseman’s comments about likening Black Panther to an anti-hero do at least stir excitement that Coogler’s feature won’t stray away from the darker tenets of the title character. After all, following the death of his father, T’Challa did spend much of Civil War on a bloodthirsty rampage, but ultimately relented before drawing his claws.
Touting a “darker” and gritter” entry into the MCU, Black Panther claws its way into theaters on July 6, 2018 when Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Creed star Michael B. Jordan will complete the ensemble cast.
