Let it be known that Black Panther is not your average superhero movie.
Sure, there are elements of an origin story sprinkled throughout Ryan Coogler’s MCU spinoff, while its titular king runs about in a “bulletproof catsuit,” but beneath the surface is an inspired, nuanced and, crucially, Afrocentric tale of heroism and family, as Chadwick Boseman’s grieving T’Challa takes his seat on the throne.
What follows is a sweeping, operatic family drama, one critics are calling the most accomplished addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. And while that can be attributed to a number of different things, a big reason the film works so well is because of its lead star, Mr. Boseman.
Ever since he first debuted in the franchise back in Captain America: Civil War, fans have been completely on board with his portrayal of Black Panther. He’s a tremendously talented actor, after all, and has so far nailed the character perfectly. In other words, hiring Boseman for the role was yet another excellent casting decision by Marvel and according to Kevin Feige, he was really the only choice.
“I think you hear people say this all the time, when you’re in a setting like this, but he was the only choice. It may not have been this fast, but in my memory, we were sitting around a table, coming up with the story for Civil War, Nate Moore, our executive producer, suggested bringing in Black Panther because we were looking for a third party who wouldn’t necessarily side with Cap or side with Iron Man.
And almost instantly, we all said Chadwick. In my memory, although maybe it was the next day, we got him on a speaker phone right then, and he was in the back of a limo in Switzerland.”
I don’t think anyone will argue with Feige’s comments here. Just from Civil War and what we’ve seen of the character’s upcoming solo outing in trailers and whatnot, Chadwick Boseman’s proven a great fit for the role and is quickly becoming a firm fan favorite in the MCU. Now, with his very own film to headline, that success is set to continue and we can’t wait to see him back on the on the big screen.
Said to be heading for a domestic total in the region of $400 million, Black Panther is all set to make its mark on the global box office. If it’s more coverage you’re after, we’ve already run the rule over Ryan Coogler’s African masterpiece to identify all of its many Marvel tropes – namely post-credits scenes and big-name cameos, Stan Lee and otherwise.
