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agentem · 4 years

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I’ve started writing a Black Panther sequel in my head. I don’t want to. My head won’t stop. (This is something I do when I am anxious.)

It is set after the Snap and it’s about grief.

First scene is Okoye having to tell Ramonda that T’Challa is gone. She feels guilty. Then Nakia comes back to find her whole family is gone and is bereft.

We cut to Warrior Falls. It is a shadow of what we saw in Black Panther. Half as many people, everyone sad, no dancing. In my head, M’Baku sits with his feet in the water because fuck it.

Shuri is the natural choice for queen. M’Baku still doesn’t like how much she relies on vibranium but much of the fight in him is spent.

She takes the heart shaped herb and prepares to meet her ancestors. T’Challa is not on the Ancestral Plane. Bast denies her (like in the comics, except not because she is jealous of T’Challa. Hinted that Bast knows what is to come.)

Shuri very sad. Nakia very sad. Everyone very sad.

M’Baku takes the throne but not the Black Panther mantle. A compromise. He starts hunting down the remaining Outriders from IW (did they just go away when the Snap happened???) and, in the process, making Wakanda more isolated. Ramonda doesn’t agree with his choices. Achebe begins preaching that T’Challa brought in outsiders and the outsiders caused all the problems. They got him killed.

Despite this, Okoye remains in touch with the Avengers. Natasha promises her that they will get everyone back “whatever it takes.” Okoye looks hopeful.

Nakia turns to mysticism. Herbs. Altar of resurrection. All stuff we know is bad and will turn her into Malice.

Shuri studies the panthers of the past and their powers. She is a girl of science and this is not her area. She turns to her mother for reassurance she hasn’t failed her country. Ramonda loves her. Bast must have rejected her for some other reason and Shuri worries it is because she is not T’Challa. Ramonda reminds her that none of them are T’Challa.

Ramonda encourages Shuri to study more of the mysticism of the Panther cult.

Nakia, in her grief, accidentally creates a vibranium monster (this would be similar to the plot of “Wakanda Forever” but implied she was trying to resurrect T’Challa).

It threatens cities outside of Wakanda and M’Baku says it is not their problem. Okoye disobeys him and alerts the Avengers. Natasha says she will send Rhodey but Okoye says no.

She goes to fight it. She appeals to Nakia saying she is sad too. And to blame her, not the innocent people. She failed to protect the king. There is a cool fight but ultimately they embrace.

M’Baku is angry Okoye left her role—protecting him. Achebe believes the Avengers have corrupted Okoye. He stirs up controversy, suggesting she killed T’Challa to the public.

There is much unrest. Shuri believes the country will be ripped apart without a Black Panther, she goes to Nakia (in jail?) for help, and Nakia is surprised to hear that T’Challa was not on the astral plane. Shuri thought this was an extra cruelty from Thanos. He took their souls with him. But Nakia doesn’t believe that is possible.

Does Bast know something they don’t???

Nakia and Ramonda help Shuri go to the Ancestral Plane again. My initial idea was that she would talk to T’Chaka but another tumblr user had a brilliant idea that it would be Killmonger who would tell her he’s not dead—yet.

When she wakes up, Shuri has the strength of the Black Panther. But she knows it is not permanent.

She hears Achebe preaching against Okoye and she and Nakia go and rescue her. The three fight against Achebe’s guards. We learn he’s intentionally stirring up trouble because he hates T’Challa and wants to destroy everything he built. More cool fighting. The sight of the female Black Panther stuns the crowd.

M’Baku arrives and has Achebe arrested. Maybe he is an isolationist but T’Challa was his “brother.” Shuri has proven herself to him as a warrior.

As the film ends, there is Shuri voiceover where she explains that the Black Panther is the protector of Wakanda, similar to what T’Challa said to Nat when T’Chaka died. We see Okoye interfacing with the Avengers. Nakia studies to become a priestess (like Zuri was in the first film). Ramonda gives a speech at the United Nations. M’Baku and the Jabari fight aliens and do their cool war chant. Shuri sits on the throne.

And I want some not sappy sentiment here about how they are all a little bit the Panther. (Like Spiderverse’s anyone can wear the mask but more about the strength of community .) They will work together to preserve what T’Challa started.

And the ancestors (Killmonger, T’Chaka) will watch over them.

That’s what I have so far. Someone help me with the end? What do you think?

*I am conflicted about whether I want Shuri dusted or not. I mean, I want her there but Marvel says she was dusted. I don’t approve.

#black panther 2

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orderoftheavengers · 5 years

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Just Because A Spell Works Doesn’t Mean it Can’t Be Improved

PRINCESS SHURI

Summary: Princess of the most advanced wizarding nation on the planet

House: Ravenclaw

Species: Human

Blood status: Pureblood

Wand: Baobab wood, nine inches, fwooper feather

Broom: Builds herself a new one every other week; but she prefers dragons as transportation

Patronus: Great Blue Turaco

Specialty: Creating magical talismans, using spells that include, but are not limited to: transfiguration; invisibility; teleportation; flying; astral projection....

Sorting

Okay, we've seen some sharp Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, and half the geniuses in this AU seem to be in Slytherin. But Shuri's intelligence and pursuit of knowledge is her number one strongest trait. Stark, Strange and the niffler are all brilliant; but their brains are in competition with their Slytherin determinism and temperaments. Shuri never backs down from a challenge, but she is usually far more quick to accept when it's time to quit than those three fuzzballs. She is brave as hell, but when no one needs her protecting, she is usually content to stay in her lab and continue inventing. In fact, she invented a way to fly brooms and dragons halfway across the world without having to leave her lab.

The princess, of course, is not a regular student at Hogwarts; the magically concealed nation of Wakanda has the most advanced wizard school on the planet, sans possibly the Kamar-Taj School of Wandless Magic in Tibet. But Wakandan royalty are all expected to study abroad, to gain some perspective on the outside world. Shuri has already spent a semester at Kamar-Taj, as well as Ilvormorny, Mahoutokoro, Durmstrang, Beaubaxtons, Xavier's School for Gifted Witches and Wizards, and a few quaint Muggle schools like Oxford and the University of Hong Kong. Hogwarts was low on her list, and she has only finally gotten around to doing a semester there at age 16.

The Sorting Hat is all too happy to get her out of the way, after spending half the Sorting Ceremony listening to her nonstop commentary on how she could speed up the process with various spell combinations.

"It's so cute and oldschool," Shuri says, as she finally swaggers to the stool. "I made myself a talking hat, when I was three or four. She picked out my outfits for me, so I wouldn't have to lose time from the lab thinking about color combinations and fashion trends..."

As she approaches, the Sorting Hat is hunched over, its pointed tip balled into a fist.

"... In Wakanda we have six Houses, but they're not decided by a magical piece of hardware. We us the Heart-Shaped Herb to travel to the Ancestral Plane--oh it's so nice to be able to just blurt that out and not have to memory-charm the whole room anymore! My brother really does have some good ideas after all." She sits on the stool and places the Hat over her cinnamon-roll hairdo. "I think if I were to design a Sorting Ceremony for a wizarding school, I'd use a Legilimency charm to combine a Portkey with a Pensieve..."

While she muses, the Hat on her head silently spins her around on the stool until she is facing the Ravencalw table, and then sends her off with a shove, not even bothering to speak telepathically.

She continues to relate her hypothetical Sorting Cat ("Because only a panther should pick your Houses, obviously...") to an exasperated werewolf; a mildly interested legilimens; a politely attentive golem; an enchantingly-befuzzled Peter Parker, and a metamorphmagus who has lost interest and begun digging into her dragon steak.

Ravenclaw Among of Ravencalws

Within the House dedicated to intelligence, Shuri is loved and hated for her stand-out intelligence. Wanda and Vision like her, because she's their only hope for removing the Mind Stone from the golem's head. Bruce Banner feels stupid around her. Peter Parker is falling in love. And Ministry of Magic agent Everett Ross has already been adopted by her.

When Ravenclaw and Slytherin take classes together, Shuri is advanced enough to be in the same classes as the seventh-years--which for Slytherin, includes Tony Stark, Stephen Strange and Rocket the Raccoon/Niffler Hybrid. It is fire and gasoline. Or more precisely, firewhisky and dragon blood. The results are the same.

Between the Drunken Quidditch Brawl and the War for the Infinity Wand , Antonius Stark pays a visit to Wakanda, where Shuri introduces him to the Bleeding Transformation Spell he incorpporates into his next broom. She oversees Tony and Bucky make up. She completely enchants Peter Parker, who is her equal in age, but opposite in school years (despite being a brilliant Ravenclaw himself). After the Dusting Curse, the princess also helps Tony, Bruce and Rocket build Time Turners. Obviously the princess was not a victim of the Dusting, that would just be FLAMING CHINESE FIREBALL SH*T!!!

Shuri and Tony's arguing is interrupted, when a Muggle laptop comes crashing through the stone wall of their lab, and just barely misses Rocket. Even Bruce, in full green wolf-form, pauses his rampage to curiously pick up the crushed computer gingerly in his paws. When he pries it opened, the four geniuses observe this very post.

"There goes the forth wall," Shuri says grimly. "Serious damage really has been done to our universe."

"Then let's get to un-doing it!" Tony declares, already using his wand to magically pull the Muggle artifact apart for scraps.

Patronus

the Great Blue Turaco is a flamboyant blue bird with "hair" to rival Shuri's. Aside from looking like the princess in avian form, the Turaco is also a very resourceful bird. Its wings are not the best for flying, so it cheats by gliding (comparable to how Shuri prefers to "cheat" at flying with astral projection). It also has unusually flexible claws, that make it a great climber. The bird's call is often as loud and intruding as the princess's infamous snarky tongue. Despite it's bold nature, Turaco's can warm up to humans surprisingly fast, to the point where they can be fed by hand. And maybe adopt a part-hobbit "colonizer."

And while there is no reason a witch's patronus or wand need to be from the same part of the world she is, Shuri's clear pride in her heritage (decorated all over her lab) makes it no surprise that her patonus would be a bird right from Africa's equator, where Wakanda is located!

Wand

The "baobab," or Adansonia, tree, is one of the most recognizable trees in Africa. (It's Rafiki's tree.) Like Shuri, this tree offers a wide variety of resources. It not only grows edible (albeit weird) fruit, but even its leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. Baobab sees can be used to make vegetable oil, and in Tanzania its pulp is added to sugarcane to help fermentation in beer brewing. The Harry Potter wiki curiously has nothing to say about this iconic tree's wood, but if it did, you can be sure these wands would go to multi-talented wizards and witches.

The fwooper is almost like a magical answer to the Turaco. Fwoopers are brightly colored African birds (orange, pink, lime green and yellow), whose songs will drive listeners to madness. They lay patterned eggs, and Uric the Oddball believed their songs to have medicinal purposes.

Princess Shuri’s Contributions to the Science of Magic:

Strengthened her brother T’Challa’s Royal Animagus spell, making his panther form even more durable and powerful than before

Astral-Projection-Aviation: A spell allowing one to take control of a broom or magic carpet, and partial control of a living being like a dragon, from miles away. She teaches Ministry of Magic Agent Everett Ross how to use this trick in battle.

Developed a magical shield that can protect one from the Imperius Curse, successfully tested on vampire Bucky Barnes

Upgraded “arm-or” (cue groans) for Bucky, to replace the one Tony blasted off during his breakdown.

“Sneakers:” Shoes of invisibility. She isn’t aware that “sneakers” are already a Muggle thing.

Countless new magical features and designs for wands, brooms, flying carpets, portkeys, time turners, and so forth

Notes: I took far too long to do Shuri, because I feared not doing her Wakandan motif justice. Deciding to forgo the fancy background really helped. Otherwise, I don't feel I have much to explain about this one.

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a34trgv2 · 5 years

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In Defense of Black Panther

WARNING: There will be spoilers for the film Black Panther. If you haven’t seen the film, please watch it before reading this post.

Black Panther one of the MCU’s most well received films from a critical and financial standpoint (with 97% out of 455 critics giving an average rating of 8.3/10 on Rotten Tomatoes and making $1.3 billion dollars at the box office). It’s even made history as the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. So, naturally there are a select few people that claim it’s “overrated” or “not worthy of all the hype” as is the case with every film that makes a splash with audiences, critics and film institutes like the Academy of Arts and Science. Full disclosure, if you dislike this film, that’s fine. It’s impossible for any one movie to please everyone. That said though, it’s still important to recognize why it resonated with so many people, including myself. Calling it (or anything, for that matter) “overrated” makes you sound jealous. With that out of the way, let’s talk about why Black Panther is not just a great film, but an important one.

Despite being set in the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther is very much a standalone picture with the only acknowledgement to the film T’Challa was introduced in, Captain America: Civil War, occurring in the beginning and post credits scene of the film. T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, died in Civil War and Bucky is seen living in a hut now under a new moniker, White Wolf. The plot mainly revolves around T’Challa learning the difference between being a good man and a good king. If Peter Parker had to learn “with great power comes great responsibility” T’Challa has to learn what responsibility he must take for the good of his country. This plot reminds me of this quote Mufasa said in The Lion King to Simba: “...there’s more to being a king then getting your way all the time.” The film shows how T’Challa’s actions can make or break his country and if it were put in the wrong hands, it can lead to dangerous consequences. That’s where Erik “Killmonger” Stevens comes in and when he defeats T’Challa in combat and becomes the new king, his first order of business is to send weapons to blacks around the world, which would lead to genocide. Killmonger is who T’Challa would’ve became if he let his bitterness consume him, and the two of them actually learn alot from one another by the end.

Let’s talk about Killmonger and why he’s one of the best villains I’ve seen in a film, comic book or otherwise. Every minute he’s on screen we learn more and more about him and why he’s does what he does. At the start of the film, T’Chaka killed his brother, N’Jobu, for attempting to kill Zuri after it was revealed that he’s been stealing Vibranium and giving it to Ulysses Klaue. N’Jobu being Killmonger’s father, the young boy spent his entire life killing and getting stronger so that he could take his place as king and right the wrong that was done to him. Killmonger represents the anger and frustrations of many young black men who are oppressed and undermined on a daily basis and if they had the power, they’d make all the oppressors pay. During the final fight, T’Challa recognizes where his hate comes from and makes an effort to be a better king than his father. Killmonger is a good villain not because he wants power, but because he wants to help other people just like him but is going at it the same way Adolf Hitler did: not through peace, but genocide. Also he kills 5 people, beats T’Chaala to near death and burned all the heart shaped herbs that gives the Black Panther his powers.

Now Killmonger is a great villain, but it’s the hero we’re all here for. So let’s talk about T’Challa. What makes T’Challa such an interesting and well throughtout character is how calm and nice he is. He remains the better man even when he has every reason to be otherwise. Not to mention, he’s just so charming and has a good heart. Ultimately though, it’s how he deals with the fact that his father wasn’t a saint like he always thought he was that makes him so relatable. He goes through an array of different emotions when he’s in the Ancestral Plane: anger, disappointment, sadness, resentment. We spend our entire child hoods believing our parents to be the best in the world and when we learn they committed heinous acts such as murder, it turns our world upside down. But rather then spend time wallowing in his misery, T’Challa makes an effort to be better than his ancestors and ensure someone like Killmonger doesn’t happen again. Captain Logon of Geekvolution made the bold claim that T’Challa, Captain America and Luke Cage were better Supermen than the one in the DCEU and I think that’s true, considering the thought of giving up NEVER crossed T’Challa’s mind.

This film goes above and beyond when it comes to making strong supporting characters. Starting with Shuri, she has definitely become an audience favorite and is in my top 10 supporting characters. At just 16, her genius makes her on par with the likes of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Also, she has some of the funniest moments in the film, including the “What are those?” gag. I’m aware many people hate memes being used in popular media, but when it’s done well, it’s at the very least chuckle worthy. She is responsible for upgrading the Black Panther suit, controlling vehicles from her lab and having battle armor ready for Nakia during the final battle. Speaking of which, Nakia is very much a subverted love interest as despite showing good chemistry with T’Challa, they’re not an item in this film until the very end and by then it feels earned. Nakia is very much by T’Challa’s side the entire time an it feel natural like they’ve been friends since childhood as opposed to them just meeting at the start of the film. Then there’s Okoye, captain of the Dora Milaje and loyal to the thrown even if Killmonger’s in it. She see’s T’Challa not just as her king but also a friend. Her lover, W’Kabi, makes for a good friend turned foe and shares perfect chemistry with her. T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda, makes for a good supporting character, showing that she very much loves her son and is willing to anything she can for him. Zuri is a good adviser and key player in Killmonger’s arc. M’baku of the Jabari tribe was just so much fun, being a fierce rival for T’Challa and having some good jokes thrown in for good measure. Then we have Ulysses Klaue, the nasty but clever and funny thief who has a Vibranium arm since he was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. He just steals the show every time he’s on screen until Killmonger kills him and drops him at the border of Wakanda.

Credit should really be given to the cast for bringing these characters to life. Chadwick Boseman gives what is quite possibly his most defining performance in his career, playing a compelling, charming, and so very human character with super human abilities. Michael B. Jordan made Killmonger his own, bringing out his humanity and bitterness towards the people who oppressed him. Letitia Wright very much sells the spunky Shuri is meant to have as well as being tech savy. Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurrea, Forrest Whitaker, Angela Basset, Winston Duke and Daniel Kaluuya are all good and very memorable as Nakia, Okoye, Zuri, Ramonda, M’Baku, and W’Kabi respectively. The one having the most fun in this film is Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, taking full advantage of his onscreen presence with his eccentric and funny personality.

The soundtrack for the film is also very memorable, embracing the African atmosphere with sounds and music influenced by countries in the continent. Rapper Kendrick Lamar was brought on to produce music for the film and his single, All The Stars (featuring SZA) used in the end credits ties in to Killmonger’s arc perfectly. Not only does the music play a key part in bringing this film to life, but the costumes and visuals aesthetic make the it feel alive. The costumes feel like they belong in an African country, making use of various colors from the lower East side of the continent. People seem to have a problem with the CG used in the film, particularly in the final battle. I’m not sure what the problem is, the CG looks fine throughout the film. Wakanda feels lived in and looks like a real place you could visit. Practical effects such as really buildings and cooking stations were used for shots in the city, but for wide shots, the CG looks flawless. I guess they’re referring to how T’Challa and Killmonger fighting in the Vibranium minds “looks like a PS2 game.” If I may go on a side tangent, I really hate the “it looks like a video game” argument. I undermines the hard work and effort that went in to making games as well as the effort put into CG in movies. In this case, the CG looks exactly like what it’s showing: two guys in black cat suits (one purple, the other orange) duking it out in a dimly lit cave. I might not be a visual effects supervisor, but even I can tell the difference from a game that came out a decade and a half ago and a movie released in 2018.

The last thing I want to talk about is why this film resonated so much with people, particularly with people of color. Contrary to popular belief, the fact that this film has a black superhero is not the only reason why it resonated with black people. It’s actually has to do with timing and how that played a huge part in it’s success. Racism still thrives around the world, particularly here in America. Just 2 years before this film came out, Zootopia tackled racism in a way children could understand and that also resonated with people unlike most animated films have done. Black Panther tackles a different angel than Zootopia and yet gets it’s message across just as effectively. Deep down, we’re very much like Killmonger. Everybody is sick of racism and we all want to do something about it. However, as the film shows, genocide is NOT the answer. The reason why the Holocaust happened and terrorism exists is because people think that killing other people they don’t like is the best solution. This film ends with T’Challa learning the right lesson from Killmonger: by opening Wakanda to the rest of the world and offering to help people instead of hurt them, T’Challa proves to be the best king in Wakandan history. The film isn’t “just another superhero movie” as some would claim it to be. It’s the film we need now more than ever. We need to be told being angry at the oppressor isn’t going to stop him, but offering to help those who are being oppressed makes a big difference. To quote a young woman from a little movie about space ships, “That’s how we’re going to win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.”

Look, the film isn’t perfect by any means. Martian Freeman gives a good performance as Everett Ross, but the character is just there to be the “Phil Coulson-esqu” type of character. That and I was a little bummed we didn’t get to see more of Klaue in the film. That said, I have nothing but positive things to say about the film. As a film it’s got a strong story, excellent characters, impressive visual effects, a memorable sound track and great performances all around. And to top it all off, it’s message culturally significant and it’s delivered in an organic way that doesn’t come across as pretentious. To anyone who dubs this film “overrated” (looking at you Dishonoured Wolf -.-), please refrain from doing so. It’s fine if you don’t like it, but you can’t deny that it’s message isn’t important. I now leave you with a quote from T’Challa himself.

#black panther #marvel cinematic universe #superhero #defense #academy awards #chadwick boseman #michael b jordan #cultural significant #racism #genocide #like #share #reblog #follow #quote

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blackpanther2018dirryancoogler · 6 years

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Saw Black Panther for the second time tonight. I’m gonna put my thoughts below the cut because they won’t be spoiler free.

I just want to start by saying that this movie changed my life, and if it had that much of an impact on me, I can’t even begin to understand how much more it will mean to people of color who finally get to see a superhero who looks just like them. This movie is long overdue, but worth every ounce of hype it’s received.

The mixing of Wakandan and English shows how much their culture means to them, and also gives them the ability to talk about people right in front of their faces, like T’Challa and Okoye do in South Korea with Ross.

The tech, as anticipated, is out of this world. Shuri is the smartest person in the entire world at just sixteen, and she uses her resources to her benefit. The use of holograms in both the rescue mission and in their everyday life are so casual but so crucial to their way of life.

There were so many small moments of humor, and none of them felt forced or awkward. Shuri especially brought humor in, which I feel is expected when you have a sixteen year old involved, even if she is a genius.

Okoye tells T’Challa not to freeze when he’s going to rescue Nakia, and he says that he never freezes when he sees her. Turns out he does end up freezing and letting out a really awkward “hi”, and when he returns home to Wakanda, the first thing Shuri asks is if he froze. Okoye says, “Like an antelope in headlights” and T’Challa says, “Are you finished?” It’s a nice little exchange.

It’s also great to see Shuri wearing more contemporary clothes in different scenes, a sign that she’s branching out with her fashion but also staying close to her roots.

The interactions between Shuri and T’Challa are so heartwarming and feel very natural for a brother/sister pairing.

When T’Challa returns home and Shuri says that she wants to upgrade his tech, he asks her why she needs to do so when it worked perfectly.

Shuri says, “How many times do I have to teach you? Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” T’Challa replies, “You are teaching me? What do you know?” and Shuri follows it up with a quick “More than you.”

There’s so many great cultural moments in the movie, like when all the different tribes are dancing on their rafts on the way to the ceremonial challenge. Each tribe is represented and has the opportunity to fight for the throne, but no one wants to. Until Shuri raises her hand and says that her corset is too tight and they should all just hurry up so she can go home. I love that she does it for the drama of it all. M’Baku shows up and when he walks toward Ramonda and Shuri, the Dora Milaje automatically get into a defensive stance.

I love the burial/rebirth ritual, and I love the shot of T’Challa in the ancestral plane. I especially love T’Challa’s white robe and the contrast between that and the black panthers in the tree, and also himself bearing the mantle of the Black Panther. Also white usually means purity or good intentions, and I think in that part of the film, T’Challa has the best intentions when he goes to speak with his father. He really does have a sort of innocence to him, because he hasn’t experienced much in the way of being a king yet.

“I am not ready to be without you,” he says to T’Chaka, to then continue on by asking him how he can be a good king.

Shuri showing her brother all of her inventions is a great chance to see her lab, and also get a taste of what she’s making at this point in the MCU. I can’t wait to see what else she invents as the years go by.

I love that she’s always teasing him, from what shoes he’s wearing, to filming him getting blasted with kinetic energy from his suit. Speaking of, it’s so awesome and resourceful of her to have the suit build up the energy in order to use it.

Nakia and T’Challa matching when they’re in South Korea is the best thing in the world. Also it’s so cool that T’Challa understands Korean. Shuri using her tech and driving the car from Wakanda is...so cool, I don’t even know what else to say about it. The moment when she runs over someone and asks what that was, and T’Challa says, “Don’t worry about it, you’re doing great” is so good because I’m sure eventually she found out she technically ran someone over.

Also I’m not sure what Shuri made Okoye’s shoes out of, or what tech is in them, but they’re also pretty cool.

One thing I loved about the movie was the constant talk of the white characters being repressive or just not useful, and the Wakandans are almost always annoyed with them. Especially when Klaue is being interrogated in South Korea, and T’Challa and Okoye are speaking in Wakandan about what they’re going to do with Klaue once Ross is done interviewing him. Ross touches T’Challa’s shoulder and Okoye says that if he does it again, she’ll put him through the desk in the room. Then Ross asks T’Challa, “Does she speak English?” and Okoye replies, “When she wants to.” When Ross leaves the room, T’Challa has to remind Okoye to play nice.

It’s clear that T’Challa really cares for Nakia, and obviously so since they mention him having a crush on her and them being exes, etc. There’s a moment after Erik (N’Jadaka) breaks Klaue out where Okoye calls T’Challa back and when she mentions Nakia’s name, T’Challa goes running because he thinks she’s hurt.

When T’Challa, Okoye, and Nakia bring Ross back to Wakanda for Shuri to help heal him, she says, “Great, another broken white boy for us to fix! This is going to be fun.” Nothing has ever been more accurate in a Marvel movie. Then later when he wakes up, she says, “Don’t scare me like that, colonizer!”

While Shuri is explaining her inventions to Ross, she’s also explaining them to us and giving us a better idea of how things work, like the sonic stabilizers in the trains.

While T’Challa is grappling with the fact that his father wasn’t the perfect man he thought, Nakia reminds him that no one is perfect but he doesn’t have to be the same kind of king T’Chaka was. She tells him that he gets to decide what kind of king he’s going to be. He takes the advice later on when he nearly gets beaten in a ceremonial challenge against N’Jadaka and has to basically be reborn. He sees T’Chaka and tells him that he’s going to be a different king, and that he can’t die yet. Nakia’s advice is also what leads him to open Wakanda’s borders and share their technology and inventions with the world at the end of the movie.

When everyone believes T’Challa to be dead, Nakia asks Okoye to run away and work on overthrowing N’Jadaka, but Okoye says she can’t go because she is loyal to the throne, and therefore the king. Nakia mentions that Okoye is the greatest warrior Wakanda has. That line makes me wonder why she wasn’t sent with T’Challa in Civil War when he was meeting with the others in Germany, but why Ayo went with him instead. Okoye is also the leader of the Dora Milaje, but maybe he had her stay behind in Wakanda to look after things.

Another big thing about the Dora Milaje is that they’re all so revered in Wakanda, and it’s an honor to be a part of the Dora. It’s such an amazing thing, seeing a group of strong black women acting as the security force for the king of the richest country in the world.

The one part of the movie that is the most gut-wrenching is when N’Jadaka is watching the sunset before his death. T’Challa says maybe he can still be healed, because there must be something Shuri can do, and it shows his compassion to offer healing to the man he stabbed. N’Jadaka says he won’t be healed because he knows he’ll just end up locked up. Then he says, “Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, ‘cause they knew death was better than bondage.” I don’t know if I’ll ever get through that scene without crying.

T’Challa, after deciding to open Wakanda’s borders and share information, goes to California, where N’Jobu died at T’Chaka’s hand. He buys the building, and the ones surrounding it, and then tells Shuri that she’ll spearhead the science and information exchange, and Nakia will be in charge of the social outreach for the first Wakandan international outreach center. There’s a group of boys outside playing basketball and one looks at T’Challa and asks who he is. You can see in his eyes that he’s amazed by this man, who looks like him, dressed like royalty. Of course he’d wonder who T’Challa was, and he’d want to know more about Wakanda.

Finally, in the end credits, Bucky returns. His hair in its half bun is one of the things I’ve wanted to see for years. Literally ever since Winter Soldier when I first saw him with long hair, I imagined what his hair would look like in a half bun, and Black Panther finally made that dream a reality for me. But beyond that, it was so nice to see Bucky looking relaxed and rested and feeling safe.

Shuri will give him a new arm, replacing the metal one that had the communist star on it. I’m sure it’ll have some incredible technological abilities, and I can’t wait to see what they are. For now, it was just great seeing Bucky able to relax and feel safe for a while. Shuri started by calling him Sergeant Barnes, but he said, “Bucky,” reminding her to call him by his nickname. When she asked how he was feeling, he said, “Good” and I think that’s probably the first time in over seventy years that he’s been able to say that. It’s good to see him at peace for a while.

But Bucky is absolutely not the focus of this movie, and in fact, he’s nowhere close to being the focus. As always, the end credits scene just pushes the narrative forward, and sets us up for Infinity War. I don’t think they could’ve gone without mentioning Bucky because he was in Wakanda for a few months, and it would’ve been nearly impossible to think that Shuri hadn’t come up with a way to fix his head in that time.

More importantly, the film is about much more than Bucky Barnes being out of cryofreeze; it’s about the lack of representation for people of color in film, and showing what African countries could’ve been like without colonization. I can’t wait to learn more and more about this movie, the cultures, and the people involved as time goes on, and learn more about small details in the film the more times I watch it.

#black panther #text

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