In February we will bear witness to the comic book world’s first black superhero, Black Panther, hitting the big screen, and he's bringing the advanced, futuristic nation of Wakanda with him. Everything about it marks a huge leap forward for Marvel (if they weren’t already ahead of the pack), and people are already fawning over the first trailer. Now, you can fawn over the new EW cover featuring three of PANTHER’S stars – Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther), Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger) and Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia).
Take a look!
The three are gracing the magazine’s special Comic-Con double issue, and with their presence comes some juicy details about the plot. But not too juicy. They’re about medium juicy.
The story revolves around T’Challa – the newly minted King of Wakanda – as he learns about the responsibility the throne requires, and the trouble it will inevitably bring. The more he has the more people will want to take advantage, and that comes in the form of Killmonger, a “dissident from the country and aspiring prince” who has begun working with opposing foreign countries in an attempt to bring down the house of T’Challa. Director Ryan Coogler had this to say:
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.
Another opposing force is Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), the thief and arms dealer who managed to get his hands on – literally – a boat load of Vibranium, which was used by Ultron on AGE OF ULTRON. The big baddie cut off Klaue’s arm, which in this movie has been replaced by sonic mining equipment he stole. He has seen Wakanda for what it really is, and not the goat-farming, third-world country it poses as. He is threatening to spill the beans about Wakanda to the world, which is an even greater danger than any physical threat.
On T’Challa’s side though is a loyal band of warriors, one of whom is Nakia, whose job it is to act as a covert agent in charge of keeping Wakanda a secret to the outside world, often using those round blades of her to eliminate any threats to the advanced civilization.
Here is a family photo of the rest of the cast, including Angela Bassett as Ramonda (T'Challa's mom), Letitia Wright as Shuri (T'Challa's sister and a warrior badass), Danai Gurira as Dora Milaje (head of an all-female unit who guards the king and Wakanda), Daniel Kaluuya as W'kabi (T'Challa's best friend and head of security for the Border Tribe) and Forest Whitaker as Zuri (shaman and keeper of the Heart-Shaped Herb).
Nate Moore then describes this relationship in the most epic way possible:
What I think we landed on was sort of a cross between James Bond and The Godfather. A big, operatic family drama centered on a world of international espionage. So hopefully we’re getting the best of both worlds.
What gets me most excited about PANTHER is that it sounds a lot like the political-thriller-blockbuster that was CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLIDER, which stands today as one of the MCU’s finest exports, while at the same time offering so much that will allow it to stand on its own two paws. There’s also the spiritual angle to the story that we haven’t seen in other MCU movies, and not to mention the actual realization of Wakanda, possibly the coolest location in all of Marvel lore. There’s so much to fanboy over its making my head spin. I need to lie down.
BLACK PANTHER arrives February 16, 2018.