HERO OF THE WEEK: BLACK PANTHER (Marvel)Real Name: T'Challa
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (July, 1966)
Fight Club Ranking: #127
Featured Fights:
- vs CAPTAIN AMERICA: Tales of Suspense #98 (Feb 1968)
- vs SUPER-SKRULL: Fantastic Four #6 (Apr 1997)
- vs DOCTOR DOOM: Black Panther #19 (Oct 2006)
Black Panther was an early addition to last year's Hero of the Week when Ryan Coogler was announced as director of the feature film. The hero debuted as a major player in that year's Captain America: Civil War, and twelve months on, we're closing in on the long awaited solo abventure! The first teaser trailer and movie poster were released late last week - and they look exciting!
Of all the superhero movies currently upcoming -- this is the one I'm most excited for!
That comes with the knowledge that the more Disney reveal their movies, the less interesting they usually appear. Doctor Strange was the last must-see destination that quickly lost its appeal as more of the Benedict Cumberbatch performance was exposed, and the details of the adaptation emerged.
Fortunately, anticipation hasn't been damaged by this first big trailer for Black Panther! If anything, my hopes for the film are buoyed by what looks like a movie with the potential to live up to the promise of a unique vision of a Marvel hero!
Aesthetics have been one of the most disappointing aspects of Marvel Entertainment. The trailer isn't presenting a perfect image, but so far I love what we've seen of the visual palette and designs! Wakanda is a wonderful blend of nature and engineering, presenting the city as its always been conceived in the comics: a world in touch with the past and the future!
Its warriors add welcome splashes of colour. I think I'm as excited to see Black Panther's guards as I am to see him! Boy, do we see Black Panther in the trailer!
Whether he's lurking in the shadows of Africa's jungles, or leaping across cars in the urban jungle -- this is a movie that's clearly going to give us a man of action! It's not quite the colour popped sci-fi of Tron, but I'm really enjoying the purple and blue hues of the city where the Panther appears to hunt!
I can't help but wish the Panther's suit had the gold highlights the comics added in the 2000s. I think that would've given the visual an attractive highlight in a lot of these images. That's ultimately a small complaint, though. A preference forgotten with so many other things going right.
In 2017, there will be a racial read of the character and film. So far this seems to be a movie that's embracing the established qualities of the comics, creating a world intuitive to itself. Nothing about the production seems contrived or insincere. I see Black Panther as a character who demands a screen presentation in the same way as any other Marvel hero, but if it also supplies heroic images relatable to a diverse audience -- that can't be a bad thing! Actors from around the world may play the parts, but we don't often see international heroes in big American superhero blockbusters. An African hero will hopefully feel refreshing to everyone in the audience.
Sadly, we still have a while to wait: Black Panther won't be in theatres until next year - February 16th, 2017. With any luck it will be completely worth the wait. I'll certainly be looking forward to the opportunity to dig deeper into some of my favourite Black Panther comics!
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