Let it be known now that 2017 was the year that Marvel figured out something that anyone with half a brain has known for decades: style matters. Okay, if you consider thatGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,Thor: Ragnarok, andBlack Pantherwere in production in 2015 and 2016, they learned this lesson a year or two ago, but you get my meaning. Compared even with the breathless efficiency and kinetic action sequences ofCaptain America: Civil War, as directed by the Russo brothers,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2and just the trailer forRagnarokhave more thoughtful visual sensation packed into their runtimes than arguably the Russos have in three Marvel films thus far. The same goes for the gorgeous-lookingBlack Panthertrailerfrom last night.
Indeed, puttingRyan Coogler, the brilliant young filmmaker behindCreedandFruitvale Station, behind the lens of a Marvel movie all but guarantees a better movie than the glut of Marvel products that have seen release thus far. And when the trailer was released last night, the hasty Twitter analysis kicked off with a bang with special attention being paid toMichael B. Jordan’s villain (and his hair) and the quick shot ofAngela Bassett’s Ramonda, the white-dreaded mother of T’Challa. Another major point of focus was the opening scene betweenAndy Serkis' Ulysses andMartin Freeman’s Agent Ross, talking about Wakanda, Black Panther’s homeland, andEWgot a pair far more knowledgeable than your basic Twitter theorists to talk about that scene and the trailer: Coogler himself andKevin Feige. The duo gave a number of quotes about the footage in the trailer, including the opening scene, and revealed key details, all of which you can take a look at below.
The interrogation scene that opens the firstBlack Panthertrailer takes place at a secret security station in Korea, whereChadwick Boseman’s hero, T’Challa, andDanai Gurira’s Okoye, his security chief, watch on. Here’s what Coogler had to say about the scene:
“One person knows quite a bit about Wakanda and another person who thinks they do, but they don’t…but I thought it would be awesome to start with a character who has seen Wakanda in its true light."
Not long after that, there are images of a space shuttle descending into Wakanda - the shuttle is called a Royal Talon Fighter and is manned by T’Challa. These images are from a flashback to our hero returning home after his father’s passing to take up his role as the King of Wakanda, and one can glimpse the Warrior’s Falls, the people of Wakanda, and Zuri,Forest Whitaker’s character, in those shots. Here’s what Coogler had to say about Zuri:
“Spirituality is something that exists in Wakanda in the comics, and it’s something we wanted to have elements of in the film. Forest’s character, more than anything, is a major tie-back to T’Challa’s father. Zuri is someone he looks to for guidance.”
Feige and Coogler also commented on the shots of Wakandan children in the trailer and how their work ties back to Zuri’s spiritual guidance and Vibranium:
Feige: “People who read the comics would be familiar with the Heart-Shaped Herb and the ceremonies that surround that…That’s partially spiritual. We certainly don’t call it magic, but there’s Vibranium that has been interwoven within that soil and that land for thousands of years, so there are other things going on with it.”
Coogler: “The Heart-Shaped Herb is how Black Panther achieves his powers. He can fight hand-to-hand with Cap, who’s a supersoldier, so he has super strength and heightened instincts that give him his enhanced abilities…The Heart-Shaped Herb is what Black Panthers over the generations would consume, once they earn the title, which gives them their physical edge.”
Serkis' Ulysses Klaue was the first villain from theBlack Pantheruniverse to be given a proper introduction - inAvengers: Age of Ultron- but he’s seemingly a secondary villain inBlack Panther. The number one would be, of course, Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, the man in the weird mask and also a Wakandan exile looking to take back his homeland by force. We get a few shots of him in action, as well as brief glances atIsaach De Bankolé’s lip-plated elder andDaniel Kaluuya’s W’Kabi, one of T’Challa’s loyal guards.
There’s also M’Baku, played byWinston Duke, the leader of the mountain tribe, who originally went by the name “Man Ape” in the comics, where he was one of T’Challa’s most notorious foes. In one shot, he can be seen in ritual combat with Killmonger, and there are numerous instances where we can seeFlorence Kasumba’s Ayo, the bodyguard who was ready to disassemble at least one Avenger for getting too close to T’Challa inCivil War.
Ayo is part of the Dora Milaje, T’Challa’s security detail, members of which are also all over the trailer, whether in battle with Killmonger or beside him at the UN when he makes an appearance to represent his people. Other defenders of the king include his sister, Shuria (Letitia Wright), who Coogler describes as both a warrior and a brilliant scientist with the know-how of a Tony Stark. And then there’sLupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, another member of the Dora Milaje who carries out high-risk spy missions for T’Challa.
The final images of the trailer, as EW’s Anthony Breznican points out, look to be set back in Korea, where the interrogation from the beginning occurred. It’s clear that the movie will feature shifts in time at least from the events ofCivil Warto more modern events - including a mysterious museum heist - but it’s not clear how the narrative will be built. That’s for the better at this point, as the images that the trailer produced alone are making my impatience to seeBlack Panthernearly unbearable.
