Overstuffing comic-book movies with tons of villains is a complaint that goes back to the '90s. And BLACK PANTHER already has a few, including Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klaw, Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger, and Winston Duke's Man-Ape. We can now add Tida Johnson a.k.a. Nightshade into the film.
This was confirmed by actress/singer Nabiyah Be on her Twitter, where she showed a shot she appeared in the trailer:
Now I don't know much about BLACK PANTHER comics, but apparently according to Wikipedia Nightshade is "an extraordinary genius, and extensively self-taught in genetics, biochemistry, cybernetics, robotics and physics, sometimes wearing protective battle armor with advanced weaponry. In the comics, she has also built numbers of humanoid robots, and even at one point created a chemical serum to transform normal humans into werewolves under her control." Which, if BLACK PANTHER includes werewolves would make it even more awesome than it already is!
And adding more villains isn't inherently a bad thing. BATMAN BEGINS had up to five, with Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow, Carmine Falcone, Zsasz, and Joe Chill together in one movie, and it didn't feel overstuffed. All that matters is the role, prominence, and importance to the plot each villain has. It only becomes overstuffed if every villain is as important as the other, and I personally trust Ryan Coogler to understand that. I can't wait!
Meanwhile, BLACK PANTHER will charge into theaters February 16tn, 2018.