Is there another Marvel setting that evokes the same feelings of awe and wonder as Wakanda does?
Sure, Asgard has its gilded corridors of power – not to mention the resplendent Bifröst Bridge – but when it comes to sheer spectacle, Wakanda is more or less in a league of its own. In fact, that was one of the big concerns going into Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther movie: how will Marvel’s special effects gurus render such a wondrous, ultra-futuristic utopia on the big screen?
Well, if the initial trailers for Black Panther are any indication, the director and his team have knocked it out of the park, laying the foundation for what will supposedly be a big, operatic family drama centering on T’Challa, the would-be king of Wakanda.
And given that Black Panther is primed to become the first instalment of the MCU headed up by a black superhero, there’s a real sense that Coogler is about to make history with his star-studded spinoff – something that we couldn’t be more excited about. Especially now that Marvel has premiered another epic promo for the pic.
Anchored by the returning Chadwick Boseman (Civil War), who reprises the role of T’Challa, the man who would be king, Black Panther largely revolves around a massive power struggle that grips Wakanda. It’s the fictional African nation on which T’Challa’s legacy is built, and it just so happens to be home to a rich mine of Vibranium.
That’ll likely play into the story of Infinity War, too, given that the sequel’s initial teaser showed Black Panther, Blonde Black Widow, Bucky Barnes and a bearded Cap charging into battle against a wave of four-armed alien foes.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves; long before Thanos touches down on Earth, Marvel and Ryan Coogler will launch Black Panther into theaters on February 16th. Also, true to the source material, it’ll feature a predominantly African-American cast, which only has us all the more excited as the studio opens its doors onto uncharted territory.
