Black Panther: The king arrives

With The Black Panther releasing tomorrow, here's a guide to the film
Black Panther: The king arrives

Ten years after the first film from the Marvel hit the screens and transported its humongous fan base to its Cinematic Universe (MCU), the makers are still raking in the profits of expanding the universe with 17 films spanning three phases, and four more films lined up till May 2019, excluding The Black Panther that comes out tomorrow. As the first release of the year from MCU, The Black Panther is an important film for the franchise as well as for the future of our heroes, who'll join hands to take on the almighty Thanos when he brings hell down to earth in Avengers: Infinity War that'll be released later in May. Here's a guide to the film about the king and protector of the fictional African nation called Wakanda.

Origins

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who were firm supporters of the civil rights movement back in the 60s, cemented their stand by creating the first mainstream black superhero comic book character in Fantastic 4 #52 in 1966 and they made sure to break all the stereotypes that are often associated with the black community. In one issue, the character even went head-on with a white supremacist organisation. Writer Christopher Priest and artist Mark Texeira expanded the character's universe over the years. 

Who is the Black Panther?

According to the storyline, anyone from the royal family that rules Wakanda can become the Black Panther who wears the vibranium lined black suit. In the film, it's T'Chala (played by Chadwick Boseman) who has taken over the throne after the death of his father T'Chaka during the events of Captain America: Civil War. 

When his wife died during childbirth, T'Chaka sent the prince abroad to study and T'Chala ends up with a PhD in Physics. Apart from being a master of various forms of martial arts, T'Chala is also often considered as one of the smartest minds in the universe (similar to DC's Batman). As the king, it's his duty to protect the kingdom of Wakanda which is one of the most advanced countries. Thanks to the abundant availability of vibranium (the near-indestructible metal which was also used to make Captain America's shield), the country is also technologically advanced, and to stay away from the eyes of western civilization, they've hidden their country from outsiders. 

What to expect in The Black Panther?

After the death of his father, T'Chala becomes a part of The Avengers in order to do his part for bringing about world peace. Once he finds out that it's Helmut Zemo whose action resulted in the death of his father, he brings him to justice before saving him from committing suicide. But back home, things don't stay the same. He has to save his country from arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B Jordan), a Wakandian exile-turned-American black-ops soldier who tries to usurp the country’s throne and become the Panther. 

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