New CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Photos & Details Unleash The 'Black Panther'

Ahead of his own solo adventure in 2018, the Black Panther will make his long-awaited feature film debut in the highly anticipated Captain America: Civil War, played by Chadwick Boseman (42) and will appear alongside Marvel mainstays such as Chris Evans' Captain America & Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. We caught a glimpse of him this morning on the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly and now they've released an additional photo of Boseman in costume as the ferocious King of Wakanda and a ton of new details about why he's finally decided to make himself known to the Avengers.

The article confirms what many have speculated for months - that T'Challa will have major issues with Sebastian Stan's Winter Soldier, something that should come as a surprise to no one as, based on the trailer, it's become fairly clear that Bucky's past will be what essentially kicks off the entire Civil War conflict. While T'Challa's allegiance is said to be in flux, meaning he could switch sides at any time, this initial conflict with Bucky will be what aligns the Black Panther with Iron Man at the start.

Speaking on his personality, Boseman liked T'Challa to 007 James Bond: “He’s definitely not the life of the party in this instance, I think this is something true of the comic book character and the movie. You never quite know where he stands. There’s always a bit of concealing and mystery. So I think mysterious is more his boat. Not to say there’s not charm and he can’t be a ladies’ man and all that. It’s more like if there is humor, it’s more like James Bond.” That sounds about right.

While developing the Civil War script, Kevin Feige & the creative team at Marvel Studios spent quite a bit of time searching for a character that was similar to the Black Panther, someone that could have his own agenda and thrive in this kind of film. It wasn't until someone actually suggested they just use the Black Panther before it clicked for Feige & company and they decided on including him in the film as a fully fleshed out character with his own set of problems and his own set of people that he cares for.

Without revealing too much about the Black Panther's motivation in Civil War, Boseman shared a few tidbits on what drives T'Challa and what kind of Panther fans should expect to see depicted on screen:

“There definitely is a sort of tradition that he’s torn between, in terms of how things were done in the past and how things need to happen now in this new world, I think there’s perhaps a bit of a maverick there, and then there’s also a need to live up to traditions and his father’s legacy. And not even his father’s legacy, but the entire nation of Wakanda. I think those are the things you will see.

“In publishing, he is sort of this very wise and a sanguine figure who seems to know more than he lets on, I think this is Black Panther in his younger years, where he maybe is a little bit more fiery than I think how they write him in the comics because he’s very much in the nascent stages of being a hero. So that means he is probably more fallible than the Black Panther that you read in comics, but for reasons that are completely logical.”

The Sokovia Accords, which were established following the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, will also play a big part in the Black Panther's arrival. Executive producer Nate Moore describes T'Challa as "the undecided voter, he's someone who hasn’t necessarily made up his mind about either side and whose agenda isn’t exactly what Cap’s agenda or what Tony’s agenda is. And I think that brings him into conflict weirdly with both characters at different times in the film. He is the prince of an African nation that has so far stayed very much sort of in the shadows. And eventually the film will draw him and his father out of the shadows." His father? Does this mean we'll also see T'Chaka appear in some capacity?

Boseman's co-star Chris Evans spoke on the Cap/Panther dynamic, how much he enjoyed working with Boseman, what makes the two heroes so similar and how things could have been different had they met under less dire cirumstances: “I love our scenes together because I do think they feel a sense of responsibility. I think they’re both very selfless people. They want the right thing, no one’s irrational, no one has an inflated ego. They’re family-first people. I think outside of the suits we’d be friends, Steve and T’Challa.” Let's all hope Marvel chooses not to kill off Cap, so we can see this potential friendship develop over the course of a few films.

As for the Black Panther's badass suit, it's unsurprisingly made of vibranium! The Russo brothers shared a few details on its construction: "It has a sheen because its a weave of the strongest metal in this fictional universe... It’s like medieval chain mail, woven extremely thin, it’s not comparable to any other costumes in the universe.” Boseman added on to what the Russos said and shared a few details on what it was like to actually don the iconic suit, claiming, with a laugh, that it wasn't as fun to wear as it was to look at.

Boseman also elaborated on vibranium's role in the MCU and how it plays into how the Black Panther moves, reacts, and develops his own personal fighting style: 

“As far as the storytelling is concerned, the vibranium is a metal that is dynamic. It can change how it’s used. It’s not a liquid, but it has the ability to change shape and change form and still have its strength. I think there a lot of things about that in the mythology that I think has a lot of potential in terms of the storytelling... It’s not just about being durable, it has the ability to absorb energy. It’s not just like you hit it and it doesn’t take it. It has the ability to absorb the attack of another person and repel or respond to that attack. That’s part of the power.”

As for fighting style, Black Panther has a unique amalgam of moves. “There are some animal forms, but not just cat. He could be a snake, or various different styles. Obviously there’s an opportunity to do some capoeira,” the Brazilian martial art that combines fighting with dance, Boseman says.

Part of Panther’s power is not just brute strength, but thinking ahead. “The key with T’Challa is to keep everybody on their toes. It’s to do the thing that is surprising, that you wouldn’t expect. So there’s a lot of agility and a lot of, like, ‘Why did he do that? Oh now I know why he did that. He was gonna come over here after he did that.’ I wouldn’t say he’s a ninja, but he does employ some of those aspects as well.”

 

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability. Get ready to pick a side and join the nonstop action playing out on two fronts when Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War opens in U.S. theaters on May.