We break down the first full-length Black Panther trailer and there’s so much to flail about! Let’s discuss.
Marvel was pretty much the most savage when they released the first full-length Black Panther trailer early on a Monday morning, then expected us to go back to work and school like business-as-usual… AS IF!
I cannot tell you how excited I am to make this journey to Wakanda. As a massive Afrophile, I’m thrilled about the idea of having the continent, its societies, and people represented in a big way. Several African cultures are melded to produce what we know as the Afrofuturist Wakanda. Plus, so many of our fave African actors shine in the film, including Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, and Florence Kasumba. Yes my friends, Black Panther is going to be SO LIT.
Black Panther takes place in the aftermath of Captain America Civil war, with T’Challa in the process of assuming the Wakandan throne. What kind of king will he be, especially when an old frenemy returns?
The revolution will be live and I will be there for every single moment! Let’s talk about some of the highlights from the trailer:
1. T’Challa and his Family
I love that we get to see T’Challa have some personal moments with his mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and sister, Shuri (Leticia Wright). (P.S. My brother and I used to have a secret handshake and I feel like it’s as cool as T’Challa’s and Shuri’s 😉 .)
2. T’Challa and Black Panther
As king of Wakanda, T’Challa joins a long line of those who have sought to protect Wakanda from being colonized and plundered. It must be a heavy mantle for him to assume, but the amazeballs tech must be a sweet perk!
3. T’Challa and Erik Killmonger
I think of Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) as a prodigal son of sorts. After being exiled from his home, a quest for vengeance produces resentment and jealousy in Killmonger. Why can’t he be king? So he returns to Wakanda, determined to take all of T’Challa’s things for himself. Including the Black Panther suit. LAWD.
4. Black Women SO LIT
This is pretty self-explanatory because Wakanda is chock-full of beautiful, badass, Black women, ready to defend their home from all threats, foreign and domestic. Get it Okoye!
5. T’Challa and Simba
Disney owns Marvel so perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us that this beautiful, multi-colored scene where T’Challa seeks out black panthers in the grasslands is so similar to the scene where Simba receives much-needed encouragement from Mufasa to remember who he is. *FLAILS*
Black Panther is out on February 16, 2018!
What do you think of the new trailer? Share your thoughts and flails with us in comments.
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king-and Black Panther-is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release
the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.
“Black Panther” stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, with Angela Bassett, with Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole wrote the screenplay.