Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is right around the corner, with Captain America: Civil War kicking off the next wave of films this May. In addition to featuring several well-known Avengers, the latest offering from directors Joe and Anthony Russo is generating much excitement for the new faces it’ll introduce; namely Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther.
While the famous wall crawler has not been featured in any Civil War marketing materials, fans have gotten their fair share of looks at the Prince of Wakanda ready for battle in his costume. The TV spot that debuted during Super Bowl 50 showed T’Challa aligned with Iron Man’s side in the titular conflict, but apparently his role in the film isn’t going to be so cut-and-dry, if the latest quotes from Boseman are any indication.
Speaking with Empire (hat tip CBM), Boseman explained how Black Panther factors into the main story, indicating that he’s not concerned with “winning” the war per say, just trying to maintain the peace:
“It’s my political mission to tame it and get it under control. T’Challa is a prince of Wakanda. All heroes have a weight on their shoulders, but there will eventually be a difference in what I have to carry politically and socially.”
It would appear then, that Black Panther’s primary objective is to arrange some sort of treaty or ceasefire between #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan for reasons that are currently unknown. That would be an interesting dynamic to explore in a film that’s promising to be more morally ambiguous than most Marvel productions. And given that the Black Panther solo vehicle has been described as a geopolitical thriller that connects to Avengers: Infinity War, there doesn’t seem to be a better character handled for this role than T’Challa. As for why he’s with Tony Stark in the trailer; the speculation is that Black Panther is hunting down Bucky Barnes, so perhaps he’s not that comfortable fighting alongside the Winter Soldier just yet.
Boseman also discussed his approach to portraying Black Panther, including how he plans to tackle the accent of the fictional African nation:
“The idea of Wakanda is sort of, what if Timbuktu hasn’t been conquered? I basically listened to people and picked what sounded cool, since it’s not a specific place. It’s in the southern, central part of Africa. The attitude, the musicality, as is my preference of the character. It has to fit his dignity.”
The actor’s comments here are reminiscent of ones recently made by Black Panther screenwriter Joe Robert Cole when he described how the team is going about creating Wakanda. Since Black Panther’s home is not an actual place, their plan is to form an amalgamation of various cultures and civilizations and craft something unique that feels real and separate from the Western world. That strategy could go a long way in making the MCU’s take on Wakanda and Black Panther stand out and rank among the more fascinating aspects of the franchise. They seem to have the right idea, and with talented filmmakers like the Russo brothers and Creed‘s Ryan Coogler guiding Black Panther to the big screen, chances are they’ll be successful.
NEXT: Marvel’s Road to Civil War
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
