'Black Panther' Teaser Trailer Gives First Look at Marvel Hero's Solo Debut
Black Panther is back on the prowl. After a blockbuster introduction in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel’s landmark superhero, played by Chadwick Boseman, is ready to front his own feature — and, based on the new teaser trailer (watch it above), he’s going to have his clawed hands full trying to keep the peace in his homeland of Wakanda while battling the likes of Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), M’Baku/Man-Ape (Winston Duke), and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) — villains ripped from the pages of the Panther comics.
The 1-minute, 52-second clip, which premiered Friday night during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, gives us our initial action-packed look at Black Panther, which arrives in theaters on Feb. 16, 2018. Taking place following the events of Civil War, Black Panther finds the hero, whose given name is T’Challa, back in his hidden high-tech African nation of Wakanda, the land briefly glimpsed during the Civil War mid-credit sequence. T’Challa has ascended to the throne and now faces enemies on all fronts.
Here’s how the official synopsis lays it out:
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.
In addition to being the Panther’s first standalone installment, the film, directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed), will also serve as a prelude to Avengers: Infinity War, which hits theaters on May 4, 2018, and will assemble heroes from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Black Panther‘s all-star ensemble also includes Lupita Nyong’o as love interest Nakia; Danai Gurira as Okoye, the head of Wakanda’s all-female special forces; Angela Bassett as T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda; Forest Whitaker as the Wakandan elder Zuri; Martin Freeman, returning in his Civil War role of anti-terrorism official Everett Ross; and Get Out‘s Daniel Kaluuya as T’Challa’s BFF, W’Kabi.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Panther was the first mainstream black superhero, debuting before Marvel’s Falcon or Luke “Power Man” Cage. “I had some super-characters before [that were black], but the Black Panther was the first one we devoted an entire book to,” Lee recalled to Yahoo Movies in 2015. “He first appeared in Fantastic Four and then he became an Avenger. Then we gave him his own book.” (And in case you’re wondering, Black Panther the character predated the Black Panthers political group.)
Earlier Friday, as a teaser to the teaser, Marvel Studios released a new poster for the film, which you can see below.
Chadwick Boseman on the Significance of ‘Black Panther’: ‘We Need to See That Image’:
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