Black Panther is Both a Soldier & Politician

Screen Rant

By Corey Hoffmeyer

Published Feb 15, 2017

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler reveals that T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) resides in a more grey area than other Marvel heroes.

When Black Panther finally made his big screen debut last year in Captain America: Civil War, it effectively did away with the need for an origin film for the character. And while he did initially take Tony Stark’s Iron Man’s side during the conflict between him and Captain America, it was mostly to avenge the murder of his father at the hands of Helmut Zemo (who he eventually stops from killing himself). Clearly, like his comic book counterpart, the character may work with other Avengers but he’s loyal first to himself and the people of Wakanda, who he rules as king.

A Black Panther film is officially on the way from director Ryan Coogler, with Chadwick Boseman reprising as T'Challa/Black Panther and Michael B. Jordan taking up the mantle of the villainous Erik Killmonger. While fans know that Black Panther will deal with T’Challa and how he balances his newfound role as both king and protector of Wakanda, Coogler has revealed some insight into the character and how his new role affects his morality.

In a preview of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3 revealed on the Doctor Strange home release, Coogler says that Black Panther will reside in a “grey area” due to his position as both a soldier and a leader. This is presumably due to the weight of making important decisions for his nation, while dealing with threats like Jordan’s Killmonger. For Coogler’s full thoughts on Black Panther and the main character’s clouded morality, read below:

"Panther exists in a grey area. In addition to being a soldier, he has a more important job as a politician. He's constantly making these choices in the fog of politics and the fog of war."

This certainly gels with what fans saw of the character in Captain America: Civil War, who was so dead-set on finding the man responsible for his father’s death at the beginning but was willing to forgive Zemo at the end after learning of his own tragic past. Unlike Tony Stark (whose parents were killed by Bucky Barnes while he was brainwashed), T’Challa could look past his own grief and make sure justice is served. This is seemingly not the first time that Black Panther will have to put aside personal feelings and wants for the good of his own people.

Comic fans should certainly be pleased by this news as well, as it looks like the Black Panther film will stay fairly close to the comics in how T’Challa is portrayed. Coogler’s comments about the character being both a soldier and politician certainly fits with his conflicted nature to both be a bringer of justice and make sure Wakanda thrives. Sometimes these goals clash and contradict and T’Challa is forced to make decisions he doesn’t necessarily like or agree with - and it’ll be interesting to see how Coogler (as co-writer/director) and Boseman bring that element to life with the Black Panther film.