First off I want to make clear this is not a jab at TChalla. The article in question already had so many comments, and I didn't want my thoughts to be lost amongst everyone else's, as it would take considerable time to piece my argument together. TChalla is an excellent article writer and I thoroughly enjoy every thing the dude publishes here. With that made clear, let's get started!
November 3, 2017... ah, what could have been, am I right? After years of fans screaming for a Black Panther film, Kevin Feige and co. announced that we would be getting this film about a year and a half after his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War. While it was never explicitly stated, it was strongly hinted that ol' Black Panther would be taking the place of Spider-Man, being torn between the two opposing sides (as well as the nation of Wakanda playing a large role in it's revelation to the world).
This raised several expectations among the CBM community. As TChalla said himself:
You know... It just made me ask myself. "Is the Black Panther film really important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?" Now here me out, the way Phase 3 was set up, Kevin Feige said that,"something I already showed you today contains an Easter egg that leads directly into Black Panther. He’s a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it’s all about how this isolationist country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn't." That sounds like whatever happened in Civil War was gonna go straight into the Black Panther film! Then at that, the film was gonna take us RIGHT into Infinity War!
While this is all a logical argument, I don't think it's cause for worry. I too was aggrivated in finding out that several Phase 3 movies would be pushed back, and I still don't see why they don't release the Spider-Man movie in April 2017 rather than July. But let's back track a little bit and look at some other information.
Way back when, when the Sony Hack was still delivering all the goods, a bit of information spilled out about where Marvel would take Spider-Man. nailbiter111 had this to report:
If the deal goes through and Marvel gains control of Spider-Man they don't want Spidey's next solo film to be a continuation of the Captain America: Civil War plot just because he would be making a cameo in it. But, Spidey's new universe would "exist in a world where that story has happened" and "superheroes are now divided into two groups."
This quote indicates in a Spider-Man solo film, taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, there are STILL two opposing parties of superheroes. When Avengers: Infinity War opens up in theaters, the Superhero Civil War will still be going on--in some form or fashion, at least. I'd guess this would be the back-end of it, a "final battle" or something like that. This makes a lot of sense, as Age of Ultron is supposed to set up Civil War while still being relevant to the Avengers series itself.
With Avengers: Infinity War being a two-part film, there's absolutley no telling what's going to happen there. What kind of a cliffhanger will it leave? How much time will last? Just because Black Panther is now being released between the two movies doesn't decrease the character's relevancy.
Here's what I'm trying to say: With every give, there is also take. The only downside to what's going down here is that now we'll have to wait that much longer to explore Black Panther. I'd bet that, due to Spider-Man's debut, Black Panther's role in Captain America: Civil War will be significantly less than it would have been. I doubt either character will take up too much of the movie, but without the Sony deal--yes, we would be getting more Black Panther, and we'd be getting him sooner. But because the Superhero Civil War will have a lasting effect beyond Cap 3, we will still be able to see the Black Panther movie deal with all the things Feige originally talked about: "He's a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it's all about how this isolationsit country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn't."
The opportunity to tell this story doesn't change with the release date. While we have to wait a few months longer, we'll still be able to see this story, and watch it tie into Thanos and whatever the [frick] that big guy is up to.
Well guys, I hope this helped rather than confused. Do you think we should just wait and see, or is there's more to be worried about? Let me know what you think in the comment section below!