Black Panther is not your typical superhero. With every punch from Captain America or blast from Iron Man, the prince of Wakanda pounces and slashes. As emotional as it was for the crew of Captain America: Civil War to see the character brought to life, he’s much more than just his vibranium suit.
Chadwick Boseman will debut as Black Panther in this May's Marvel movie amid an impending face-off between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Speaking from the film's set in Atlanta, the actor described his hero's powers, saying:
He’s not the strongest. You know what I’m saying? He’s not necessarily the fastest, but he is strong, and he’s fast, and he is… he has a wit, he has a wisdom and a plan, an overarching plan that a lot of times you don’t necessarily see. So it’s his strategy during a fight or during a battle, and it’s not just him — as far as the comic book goes. I think that’s the difference. It will be — it’s an introduction to the character.
Thanks to Entertainment Weekly’s Civil War cover story, Marvelites already got an introduction to the character. As a hero from Wakanda, the fictional African nation where the indestructible metal vibranium is found, Black Panther’s suit is a "medieval chain mail" of the substance. The dynamic substance is not only durable, but also allows T’Challa to absorb an attacker’s blow and "repel or respond to that attack."
While in an interview room on the film’s set last June, producer Nate Moore went into further detail.
The way Chad moves, I think is unexpected, right. So, you go, 'Black Panther, he’s cool, punching people, he’s got claws.' Chad brings a certain movement, and it’s through his own experience with the martial arts, that we hadn’t really talked about... the first day on set, we’re like, 'Oh, that’s kind of interesting. He has a very slick, cat-like walk, that doesn’t feel like kabuki, like I’m trying to be a cat, but is very much his own thing.
Captain America: Civil War will first introduce Black Panther as T’Challa. After another international incident involving the Avengers, the Sokovia Accords are passed to impose harsher restrictions on superhuman activity. When sides are forced to be taken, T’Challa suits up alongside Team Iron Man…at least, for now.
If only the costume was as cool, temperature-wise, as it was cool by appearance, Chadwick Boseman would’ve been more eager to put it on. "It’s hot," he laughed. "It’s blazing hot. Listen, it’s so hot, like I’ve never been that hot before in my life." See if it's all worth it on May 6.
