Black Panther (film)

"You can't let your father's mistakes define who you are. You get to decide what kind of king you are going to be."

- Nakia to T'Challa

Black Panther is a 2018 superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. It is a sequel to Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, and is the eighteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the sixth installment of Phase Three. The film was released on February 15, 2018 internationally and on February 16, 2018 in the United States.

The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as N'Jadaka/Erik Stevens/Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri and John Kani as T'Chaka.

Synopsis
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T'Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader. However, T'Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

Plot
Centuries ago, as five African tribes war over a meteorite made up of the alien metal vibranium, a warrior ingests a "heart-shaped herb" affected by the metal and gains superhuman abilities. Becoming the first "Black Panther", he unites all tribes except the Jabari tribe, and forms the nation of Wakanda. As time passes, the Wakandans use the vibranium to develop highly-advanced technology while simultaneously isolating themselves from the rest of the world and posing as a third world country.

In 1992, King T'Chaka visits his brother N'Jobu, who is working undercover in Oakland, California. T'Chaka accuses N'Jobu of assisting black-market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue in stealing vibranium from Wakanda. N'Jobu's partner reveals he is Zuri, another undercover Wakandan, and confirms T'Chaka's suspicions.

In the present day, following T'Chaka's death at the hands of Helmut Zemo, his son T'Challa returns to Wakanda to assume the throne. After working with Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, to extract his ex-lover Nakia from an undercover assignment in Nigeria's Sambisa Forest, he reunites with his mother, Queen Ramonda, and sister, Princess Shuri, only to learn that M'Baku, the leader of the mountain-dwelling Jabari Tribe, is challenging him for the crown. The two engage in ritual combat, with T'Challa emerging victorious and becoming the new King.

At the same time, Klaue and his associate Erik Stevens steal a Vibranium artifact from the Museum of Great Britain. When Wakanda hears of Klaue's actions, T'Challa's friend and Okoye's lover W'Kabi, who lost his parents as a result of the dealer's actions, urges the young monarch to bring him to justice. T'Challa, Okoye, and Nakia plan to intercept Klaue at an underground casino in Busan, where he will be selling a stolen artifact to an unknown buyer. The plan, however, goes wrong when T'Challa discovers the buyer is CIA agent Everett Ross. As a result, the Dora Milaje are forced to sabotage the operation, inciting a shootout.

When Klaue attempts to escape, T'Challa, Ross, Shuri, Nakia and Okoye intercept him in a car chase across the city. Klaue ultimately crashes, and T'Challa comes close to killing him, but decides against it and hands him into the custody of the CIA. The next day, while being interrogated, Klaue is rescued by Stevens. Rather than pursue Klaue, T'Challa decides to take Ross, who has been severely injured while protecting Nakia, to Wakanda where Shuri can use the nation's advanced technology to save him.

While Shuri heals Ross, T'Challa confronts Zuri about N'Jobu. Zuri explains that N'Jobu planned to share Wakanda's technology with people of African descent around the world to help them conquer their oppressors. As T'Chaka arrested N'Jobu, N'Jobu attacked Zuri, forcing T'Chaka to kill him. T'Chaka ordered Zuri to lie that N'Jobu had disappeared and left behind N'Jobu's American son, Erik, in order to maintain the lie. Erik became a U.S. black ops soldier, adopting the name "Killmonger".

Meanwhile, Killmonger kills Klaue and takes his body to Wakanda, revealing his identity before the tribal elders and challenging T'Challa for the throne in ritual combat. After killing Zuri, he defeats T'Challa and hurls him over a waterfall, where he is presumed dead. After ingesting the heart-shaped herb to gain the powers of the Black Panther, Killmonger orders the rest incinerated, but Nakia manages to steal one. Killmonger, supported by W'Kabi and his army, enacts his father's plan, preparing shipments of Wakandan weapons to be distributed to Wakandan operatives around the world, that of which includes New York City, London and Hong Kong.

Nakia, Shuri, Ross, and T'Challa's mother Ramonda flee to seek the aid of the Jabari and learn M'Baku's men are caring for the comatose T'Challa, whom they had rescued in repayment for sparing M'Baku's life. Healed by the heart-shaped herb brought by Nakia, T'Challa returns to Wakanda to stop Killmonger's plan. T'Challa returns to Mount Bashenga to challenge Killmonger for the throne, who is now wearing a Panther Habit of his own.

While Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye join the Dora Milaje and Jabari in battling W'Kabi and the Wakandan army, Ross, piloting a remote jet, shoots down the planes carrying the weapons before they can leave the country. Confronted by Okoye, W'Kabi and his army stand down. Killmonger overpowers the Dora Milaje and comes close to murdering Shuri, but T'Challa saves her, and tackles Killmonger into the Great Mound. M'Baku and the Jabari arrive, and they defeat W'Kabi, forcing the Border Tribe to surrender.

While T'Challa and Killmonger vie for supremacy, sonic disruptors used in the transport of the metal in the mine incapacitate their vibranium armors. T'Challa uses this to his advantage, and overpowers Killmonger, impaling him with a dagger. T'Challa, victorious shows mercy to Killmonger and fulfills his childhood wish to witness the sunset of Wakanda. Killmonger refuses T'Challa's offer to be healed and pulls the dagger out of his chest, choosing to die a free man rather than be incarcerated.

Rejecting the isolationism of past Wakandan kings, T'Challa establishes an embassy in Oakland, California, purchasing the apartment complex where N'Jobu was murdered. T'Challa appoints Shuri and Nakia to run the embassy. Soon after, T'Challa appears before the United Nations in the rebuilt Vienna International Centre to reveal Wakanda's resources to the world, and to come out of isolation. Later, Bucky Barnes who was granted asylum by T'Challa wakes up in Wakanda, and is met by Shuri, who begins to help him with his recuperation from his mental programming.

Cast

 * Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther
 * Ashton Tyler as Young T'Challa
 * Michael B. Jordan as N'Jadaka/Erik Stevens/Erik Killmonger
 * Seth Carr as Young N'Jadaka
 * Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia
 * Lidya Jewett as Young Nakia
 * Letitia Wright as Shuri
 * Danai Gurira as Okoye
 * Martin Freeman as Everett Ross
 * Angela Bassett as Ramonda
 * Forest Whitaker as Zuri
 * Denzel Whitaker as Young Zuri
 * Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue
 * Winston Duke as M'Baku
 * Florence Kasumba as Ayo
 * Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi
 * Sterling K. Brown as N'Jobu
 * John Kani as T'Chaka
 * Atandwa Kani as Young T'Chaka
 * Nabiyah Be as Linda
 * Stan Lee as Thirsty Gambler
 * Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes (post credit scene)

Locations

 * Wakanda
 * Golden City
 * Citadel
 * Amanzi Kwakhona Umlambo
 * Warrior Falls
 * City of the Dead
 * Border Village
 * Jabari Land
 * Gorilla City
 * Mount Bashenga
 * Shuri's Lab
 * Great Mound
 * River Village
 * Sambisa Forest, Nigeria
 * London, England
 * Museum of Great Britain
 * The Shard
 * St Paul's Cathedral
 * Gherkin
 * London Sanctum
 * Busan, South Korea
 * Jagalchi Market Casino
 * CIA South Korean Black Site
 * Oakland, California
 * N'Jobu's Safehouse
 * Wakandan International Outreach Centre
 * Vienna, Austria
 * Vienna International Centre
 * Ancestral Plane
 * Novi Grad, Sokovia (mentioned)
 * Annapolis, Maryland (mentioned)
 * Kansas (mentioned)
 * New York City, New York (mentioned)
 * Kenya (mentioned)
 * Ghana (mentioned)
 * Benin (mentioned)
 * South America (mentioned)
 * Afghanistan (mentioned)
 * Iraq (mentioned)
 * Hong Kong, China (mentioned)
 * India  (map)
 * Nepal (map)
 * Pakistan (map)
 * Bhutan (map)

Events

 * Rescue of Nakia
 * Robbery at the Museum of Great Britain
 * Incoronation of T'Challa
 * Arrest of Ulysses Klaue
 * Erik Killmonger's Campaign
 * Assassination of Ulysses Klaue
 * Incoronation of Erik Killmonger
 * Battle of Mount Bashenga
 * Duel in the Great Mound
 * Bombing of the Vienna International Centre (mentioned; flashback)
 * Battle of Sokovia (mentioned)
 * Assassination of N'Jobu (flashback)
 * Attack on Wakanda (mentioned)

Items

 * Vibranium
 * Panther Habits
 * Wakandan Royal Rings
 * Kimoyo Beads
 * Ring Blades
 * Vibranium Gauntlets
 * Sneakers
 * EMP Beads
 * Spear of Bashenga
 * Shuri's Remote Control Disks
 * Ulysses Klaue's Prosthetic Arm
 * Heart-Shaped Herb
 * Jabari Wood

Vehicles

 * Royal Talon Flyer
 * Dragon Flyers
 * Wakandan Maglev Train
 * Sky-Cicles (mentioned)

Creatures

 * Dogs
 * White Rhinoceros
 * s
 * s
 * s (mentioned)
 * s (mentioned, deleted scene)
 * s (mentioned, deleted scene)

Organizations

 * Wakandan Tribes
 * Golden Tribe
 * Border Tribe
 * River Tribe
 * Jabari Tribe
 * Mining Tribe
 * Merchant Tribe
 * Dora Milaje
 * War Dogs
 * Wakandan Royal Guards
 * Tribal Council
 * Wakandan Design Group
 * CIA
 * United Nations
 * United States Air Forces (mentioned)
 * United States Navy SEALs (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * MIT (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Azzuri
 * Badu
 * Bast
 * Hanuman
 * Helmut Zemo
 * Erik Killmonger's Mother
 * M'Baku's Children
 * Okoye and W'Kabi's Children (deleted scene)

Production
In January 2011, Marvel Studios hired Mark Bailey to pen a Black Panther script. Kevin Feige would produce the film. The Black Panther is a fictional character appearing in Marvel comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). He is also the first black superhero in mainstream American comics. Feige said that Black Panther is one of the films he is asked the most about. Michael Kenneth Williams, who appeared in The Incredible Hulk, has expressed interest in the titular role.

On October 28, 2014, Marvel Studios made a major announcement citing Black Panther as one of several films to be created in Phase Three.

On February 9, 2015, Marvel officially announced that it was changing the release date of four of its films, including Black Panther. However, Black Panther was changed again during the announcement of Ant-Man and the Wasp.

By July 3, 2015, Marvel had spoken with to be the movie's director, but she declined, citing that her vision and Marvel's were not the same.

By August 13, 2015, expressed interest in directing the film since he passed up on Captain America: The Winter Soldier to do another film. However, F. Gary Gray was withdrawn from negotiations when he was chosen to direct Universal's The Fate of the Furious.

On October 14, 2015, "HeroicHollywood" reported that Marvel Studios desired Ryan Coogler to direct the film. "Comicbookresources.com" repeated the story.

By January 5, 2016, Ryan Coogler was chosen to direct the film.

On May 12, 2016, was announced to be in talks for a role in the movie.

On May 13, 2016, Michael B. Jordan joined the cast.

On July 23, 2016, at the San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that Danai Gurira had joined the cast and her role, along with Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o's, was revealed.

On October 8, 2016, Marvel announced that Forest Whitaker, Winston Duke and Daniel Kaluuya joined the cast as Zuri, M'Baku and W'Kabi respectively. Florence Kasumba reprised her role from Captain America: Civil War.

The working title of the movie was "Motherland".

The movie began production in Atlanta on January 15, 2017 and used as its home base.

Music

 * Black Panther: Original Motion Picture Score
 * Black Panther: The Album