The king is coming to the big screens in ‘Black Panther’
Marvel Studios released the second trailer and official movie poster for “Black Panther” on Oct. 16 which will premiere on Feb. 16, 2018. By Tuesday Nov. 7 the trailer received 9.7 million views on YouTube, and out of 24,000 users on Rotten Tomatoes, 99 percent of them want to see it.
T’Challa, Boseman, returns home to Wakanda to take his place as king. Upon his arrival he soon finds out that two villains, Killmonger and Klaw, are either challenging the throne or trying to destroy Wakanda all together. Battling it out, T’Challa tries to keep his people safe with the help of Nakia, a member of the Dora Milaje, as well as the rest of the Dora Milaje.
In the new footage of the second trailer there is more dialogue from different characters. Even though Black Panther carried a role in other Marvel movies, his voice is heard for the first time in the second trailer when responding to Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, saying that he never freezes when going into a fight.
Erik Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan, speaks for the first time in the new trailer saying that he’s waited his “entire life for this” and that “the world is going to start over.” Killmonger is also seen with Klaw revealing that they are working together or have some kind of alliance.
Klaw’s new robotic arm, which can transform into a weapon, makes an appearance in the second trailer as he shoots from it at Black Panther. This is new because in the opening scenes of the first trailer he still has no arm from when he lost it to Ultron in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
Viewers officially saw that Ulysses Klaue, or Klaw, had returned in the first trailer after escaping in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” He was being interrogated by Everett Ross, a CIA agent, and they were on the subject of Wakanda. Wakanda, to some, is just an underdeveloped third world country where some trading items are imported from. But Klaw’s knowledge of Wakanda is on a deeper level.
Wakanda is the home to vibranium. It is almost indestructible metal, completely vibration absorbent and extremely valuable. Vibranium is first seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Howard Stark gives Captain America his shield in “Captain America: The First Avenger” and it is also what the Black Panther’s suit is made out of to keep him safe.
Klaw has been to Wakanda, and as stated in the first trailer he is also the only one to have seen it and made it out alive. Klaw mined and stole billions of dollars worth of vibranium to bring back to the U.S. and later sold it to Ultron which was used to create Ultron’s body called the Vision.
Killmonger and his family were exiled from Wakanda by T’Challa so he spent his life hating the king and wanting to avenge his father’s death. He is seen throughout the trailer blowing things up, fighting the Dora Milaje and personally fighting one on one with T’Challa, in one of his own panther suits.
There are a couple things about “Black Panther” in general that separates it from the rest of the Marvel movies as well as many movies in general. Firstly, the Black Panther character is the first black superhero and overall, “Black Panther” is majority made up of either African or African-American actors and actresses. There are two main roles that are played by white males, the character Klaw and CIA agent Everett Ross, and the remaining white actors are minor positions.
Not only is this movie led by a black cast but it is also directed by Ryan Coogler, an African American. He has also directed “Creed,” working with Michael B. Jordan. Many of the past African-American cast led movies have been directed by white men so this movie is a big progressive step for Africans.
The song that plays in the background of the trailer starts off with “BagBak” by Vince Staples and then begins to mix together with “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a song by Gil Scott-Heron released in 1970. Scott-Heron was often described as “the godfather of rap” and his song “The Revolution Shall Not Be Televised” when it came out in 1974 was used as a slogan during the Black Power movement.
In designing the trailer these specific songs were picked as all part of the new package that is entailed with “Black Panther.”
The character of T’Challa will be seen in the “Black Panther” movie on Feb. 16 as well as playing a role in the future “Avengers: Infinity Wars” which will also be released on May 4 in 2018.
