The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a constantly growing place. In addition to the 13 films that have already been released since 2008's Iron Man, there are seemingly endless new entries on their way to the big screen. One such movie that has been highly anticipated, especially since Captain America: Civil War came out, is Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. With a stellar cast and a fresh perspective and story, Black Panther should be a refreshing and exciting journey into another area of the world with a different point of view on the craziness that has occurred over the past eight years.
Ryan Coogler (Creed) is set to direct the upcoming superhero flick, and recently opened up to Comicbook.com regarding what will make Black Panther so different from its preceding MCU entries. He said the following:
The answer is with who that guy is like with Captain America, he was a guy that was running around in World War II and that's what the film started off as and they brought him out of the ice and it was about this dude who was brought into this technological, digital world. So, with this we start with who T'Challa is. He's an African King, he inherited his throne, and that's the most important thing about him if you ask him. That's the biggest job that he has and how that affects his personal life and how that affects the country that he's in charge of, it kind of lends itself to its own story that is so different from anything that we've ever seen.
This is certainly quite different. We've seen the majority of the Marvel movies through a small pool of characters' eyes. It's time for a different set of circumstances and consequences to help really flesh out the MCU.
T'Challa truly has a totally different perspective than any of the other Marvel heroes. The responsibility of being a King means that his decisions both in costume and out have the ability to affect an insane amount of people. This a new concept for the MCU. While the heroes kick ass and save people, their lives are largely their own. Sure, Tony could screw up his company, but the Avengers' days outside of crime fighting don't affect anyone much. And if anything were to happen to T'Challa during his Black Panther adventures, the leadership of an entire country will shift. That vibranium suit better hold up.
Black Panther isn't the only Marvel Movie that is hoping to shift the narrative a bit. Spider-Man: Homecoming's director recently spoke out regarding Peter Parker's story, and how we'll be seeing more of the common man's perspective on the MCU through Peter's eyes. There will also be an expected focus on young characters, and both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther will more properly feature people of color, therefore helping the MCU to be be more inclusive.
Black Panther will scratch and claw its way into theaters on July 6th, 2018.
