Yesterday, it was revealed by a very reliable source that Black Panther will be getting his own big screen adaptation. For years, the character has been up there alongside Doctor Strange as one of the most anticipated films from Marvel Studios and the news that it was closer than ever to becoming a reality has left comic book lovers very happy indeed. However, with the likes of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor all starring in their own movies, do we really need a Black Panther movie?! Well, yes, and here are just a handful of reasons why.
Location, Location, Location...
Much like Asgard transported fans to a new and exciting location, Wakanda can most definitely do the same with the fictional city which is a mixture of African architecture and ultra-modern technology. With just about all of Marvel's movies rooted firmly in the United States, this would be a bold new direction for the studio. Providing they get the right creative team working on this thing, it could quite possibly one of their most visually stunning films yet.
Captain America: The First Avenger already mentioned Vibranium, and that too opens up plenty of new storytelling avenues. Whether or not the history between Steve Rogers and T'Challa's grandfather would be touched upon may also make for an interesting dynamic between him and Cap. Wakanda also brings with it the opportunity for Marvel to introduce a whole host of new characters, including such bad guys as Erik Killmonger, Man Ape and Ulysses Klaw.
Assemble.
There's no getting around the fact that T'Challa would be a great addition to the current roster of The Avengers, not only adding some ethnic diversity, but also opening the door to some great new storylines. "Red Zone" is one of the best Avengers stories ever and sees The Red Skull infiltrate the United States government. He then releases a biological weapon which will wipe out anyone from an "inferior" race. Black Panther's response? To break his jaw. As time goes on and the studio give more character their own films, not all of them will be joining up, but giving Black Panther some sort of role in the sequel is a must (even if it's a minor one). In the
Ultimate Avengers 2 animated movie, T'Challa sought out the help of Earth's Mightiest Heroes when the Chitauri invade his homeland seeking out Vibranium. While Marvel hopefully won't repeat the alien invasion angle, it would make for an interesting focal point for Thanos' possible visit to Earth if Marvel choose to head in that direction.
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear.
With
Daredevil grounding to a halt over at 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios has the chance to take one of their characters in a bold and dark new direction. Or to put it another way, their very own Batman. As those of you who keep up with comics will know, the King of Wakanda recently found himself powerless, and with his sister serving as the Black Panther, the superhero headed to Hell's Kitchen to protect the streets of New York. While this is obviously a story better suited to a sequel, who can say whether or not we'll see the character leaving his homeland to explore America? Taking anything at all from this particular run would surely be beneficial to the character. However, with T'Challa seemingly returning to the throne in an upcoming issue of
Fantastic Four, this may not be a direction the studio decides to take the character. It is of course one of the many options open to them.
He's A King. 'Nuff said.
If the clash of egos in
Marvel's The Avengers was to your liking, just imagine Tony Stark and Thor butting heads with an actual King! Marvel will obviously want to avoid repeating the whole "arrogant hero learns humility" angle they went with in the God of Thunder's solo movie, but that's the best thing about T'Challa - he doesn't need an attitude adjustment. As many stories in the past have shown, the character has more in common with fellow monarchs such as Black Bolt, Namor and Doctor Doom than he does with his fellow superheroes. However, beneath all that he is still a good man and a hero, so seeing him balancing all of these things promises to be fascinating. Of course, as well as being a King, T'Challa also happens to be extremely clever (he has a Ph.D. degree in physics for one thing) and may prove to be an interesting foil for his fellow peers Tony Stark, Bruce Banner and even Hank Pym if
Ant-Man becomes a reality.