“Black Panther” holds significant cultural and social importance for several reasons:

1. Representation: “Black Panther” is celebrated for its groundbreaking representation of Black superheroes in mainstream media. The film features a predominantly Black cast and showcases African culture, traditions, and a technologically advanced African nation called Wakanda. It provides a platform for Black audiences to see themselves represented positively and as heroes on the big screen, challenging traditional stereotypes and empowering Black communities worldwide.
2. Empowerment and Identity: The character of Black Panther, also known as T’Challa, embodies strength, intelligence, and leadership. His portrayal as a noble and powerful African king resonates with audiences, particularly those from African and African diaspora backgrounds. “Black Panther” offers a source of pride, inspiration, and cultural affirmation, reinforcing positive Black identity and encouraging individuals to embrace their heritage and potential.
3. Social Commentary: The film delves into relevant social and political themes, such as racial inequality, colonialism, and the African diaspora experience. It explores the responsibility of those in power to uplift marginalized communities and addresses the struggle for justice and self-determination. By intertwining these themes within a superhero narrative, “Black Panther” sparks meaningful conversations and prompts critical reflection on real-world issues.
4. Box Office Success: “Black Panther” achieved remarkable commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Its triumph at the box office shattered stereotypes and disproved the notion that films with predominantly Black casts couldn’t achieve global appeal. The film’s success highlighted the demand for diverse stories and showcased the economic viability of inclusive filmmaking.
5. Cultural Impact: “Black Panther” had a profound impact on popular culture, transcending the boundaries of traditional superhero films. It sparked a global movement and became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring fashion, art, music, and celebrations of African culture. The film’s impact extended beyond the big screen, igniting conversations about representation, diversity, and inclusion in the entertainment industry.

In summary, “Black Panther” matters because it represents a groundbreaking moment in cinema, providing positive representation, empowerment, and cultural significance for Black audiences. It has influenced popular culture, challenged stereotypes, and sparked meaningful conversations about identity, social issues, and the importance of diversity in media.

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The Academy, best known as the group that organizes and votes on the Academy Awards (“The Oscars”) aka The show that is run by older white gentlemen who “occasionally mix up the envelope.”

This year’s push toward a more inclusive Academy included a majority of female invitees for the first time, including Gurira, Mindy Kaling, and many more (If they ask Zoe Saldana … that would be life right there).

After this year’s class, 31% of the Academy will be made up of women, and 16% will be people of color. That last statistic is particularly notable in that it has doubled in the past three years, according to  Variety.

This year, as the Academy moves to diversify, Coogler’s Black Panther remains in the conversation for numerous Academy Awards — an accomplishment which would distinguish it from Marvel’s other big critical and commercial hits, were it to happen.

The Academy is trying to show diversity. They want everyone to know it’s about equality and respect. If Black Panther manages to come away with multiple nominations, it will show the world the change the Academy is willing to make.

The Academy itself — with over 900 invitations sent out this year — is likely to continue this trend of diversity through expansion rather than attrition, resulting in a group that is not only more inclusive but overall larger, with Variety speculating that it will soon be roughly double its size from just a decade ago.

Do you think Danai Gurira deserves to be a part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Will Double Shot show up in Avengers 4? Let me know on Twitter and Instagram @BlueJayHJB and follow SEVNetwork on Instagram @sevnetwork

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Today’s Black Panther is a culmination of technology, amazing wealth, advanced, unparalleled science. In short, he’s James Bond meets Ironman. Some combo that is. What once was a bland character is now a bonafide, A-list, top flight Marvel heavyweight in his own regard. He’s prodigious as a team member or off on his own adventure. And this was long over due, again, in my opinion.  Today’s Black Panther, king of the secluded and advanced land of Wakanda and played by Chadwick Boseman, has an entire suit made of a highly advanced combination of metal and sound called Vibranium.  His sister is Q to his Bond, a genius at science and the creative process behind all the Panther’s gadgets and hardware. It has to be seen to be appreciated, because no amount of pretty words on page can do this terrific movie enough justice.  A well crafted script embodied by a top notch cast that totally delivers on every line, in every scene. Amazing what a great production can do for the movie business.

There was nothing spared for anyone who appreciates this kind of film; action aplenty, fights galore, incredible car chases and, fortunately, thank the high Heavens a ‘real’ and well characterized ‘villain’-if you will-played brilliantly by the awesomely talented Michael B. Jordan, whose own agenda and perspective are not as villainous as you’d think, depending on your own point of view.  A big part of the movies theme is morality.  There are two very strong instances here where a choice made does and can have a hard trickle down affect.  What does one man owe another.  What is one countries obligation to another, or a man to his own family.  This film wasn’t just slapped together haphazardly just to be thrown into the Marvel cannon. It leaves you pondering very deep thoughts.

I went in somewhat jaded by all of the hype, not wanting to get my hopes too high. My hopes were exceeded glad to say.  For those who thought that there may be a little Caucasian alienation let me assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. The seventies gave us a plethora of Blaxploitation heroes and anti-heroes. Brothers from another mother, so to speak.  But if the “we are all one” message never resonated soundly before, it does here.  Power to the Panther.

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Edited by Debbie Berman (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”) and Michael P. Shawver (“Creed”), the eighteenth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe nicely moves scene to scene while revealing information purposefully. The opening scene takes place in 1992. A cut back to present day and you think that’s that. However, the editing duo continuously returns to the opening scene throughout different parts of the film to reveal more and more pieces that affect the “Black Panther” story arc.

Director Ryan Coogler anchored the plot around strong performances from Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danai Gurira. Each actor displayed a sense of humanism and a knack for superhuman fighting skills. Boseman and Jordan were the only two wearing Wakanda suits as ’T’Challa/Black Panther’ and ‘Erick Killmonger’, respectively. Nyong’o and Gurira portray spy/love interest ‘Nakia’ and Wakandan general ‘Okay’, respectively.

The script perfectly blended intrigue and humor over 134 minutes of screen time. Letitia Wright, playing Boseman’s on-screen younger sister,’Shuri,’ brings as many jokes as she does high-tech gear that Wakandan royalty can play with. Visually stunning, the kingdom spreads over landscapes of sunbathing grasslands and rigorous trails edging snow covered mountains.

Overall, the film packs as much punch as a Black Panther suit, which is a lot. Followers of the current Marvel timeline won’t see references to other films. Nevertheless, Marvel film geeks will more than likely enjoy it. Fans of the original comics will gleam seeing the African king roll through theaters as smoothly as his superhero counterparts.

Wakanda forever.

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Having previously played the role of Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch in 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four, this won’t be Jordan first romp in the superhero genre. Jordan will be joined by Chadwick Boseman, titular King of Wakanda, and – if the stars align – Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o in an undisclosed role. In keeping with the rather hushed news of development for the film, Jordan’s role is also yet unknown. Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaw, having debuted in Avengers: Age of Ultron, will return. Also likely to return to the fold, Martin Freeman, who appeared in Civil War Everett Ross. Ross, being a long-standing character in the Black Panther comics, could very likely be ‘vehicle’ character for audiences’ entering the mysterious and incredibly reclusive African nation of Wakanda.

Ryan Coogler will both write and direct Black Panther, which will continue from Boseman’s breakout performance as T’Challa following the events of Civil War.

As always, stay plugged in to SEV for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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With so many characters — present as well as upcoming — populating the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s easy to lose track of who will play the role of who/what in the myriad of planned feature films. The Hobbit and Sherlock actor was announced some time ago as having been added to roster of supporting characters in an unknown role. Today, the veil of that little mystery has been pulled aside. Martin Freeman will be appearing in Captain America: Civil War as Everett Ross! This is confirmed with the latest issue of Empire, where new photos of Freeman on set were taken.

Traditionally known in Marvel Comics as the US Government’s liaison, historical expert and — once — regent to the African nation of Wakanda (long story on that last one), Ross has been a staple character in many Black Panther titles. His appearance in Civil War can only hint at him serving a similar role in the upcoming Phase Three film about the King of Wakanda, who will be played by actor Chadwick Boseman and will also be making his debut appearance in the epic scale showdown between ‘Team Iron Man’ and ‘Team Cap’.

“Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.”

Boseman and Freeman joins Chris Evans’ ‘star-spangled man with the plan’, Captain America, and Robert Downey Jr. as ‘genius billionaire playboy philanthropist’ Tony Stark, as they go head-to-head in a divisive battle of the superheroes, with results that could very well leave the MCU in shambles.

Also starring; Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Emily VanCamp, Don Cheadle and Sebastian Stan return as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sam Wilson/Falcon, The Vision, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Jim Rhodes/War Machine, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier respectively.

Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. The film will also debut Marvel’s new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland.

Anthony and Joe Russo will once again direct, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

Captain America: Civil War will be released on May 6, 2016. Marvel’s Black Panther will be released July 6, 2018.

As always, stay plugged in to SE for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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Last month, rumor circulated that the Fruitvale Station and Creed director was in talks with Marvel Studios to helm the upcoming superhero film. Today, we have the word from Marvel’s Kevin Feige that Coogler is, officially, on board for the ‘Phase Three’ entry into the franchise.

“We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family,“ said Feige. “The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct ‘Black Panther.’  Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know we’ve found the perfect director to bring T’Challa’s story to life.”

Features a script by Joe Robert Cole (Amber Lake) and starring 42 and Get On Up actor Chadwick Boseman as the king of Wakanda himself, Black Panther is slated to hit theaters on February 16, 2018. Aside from actor Andy Serkis reprising his role as the villainous Ulysses Klaw, after his introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron,  it is yet unknown who our cast for the film will consist of. Indeed, it is early days for what will be Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is already brimming with upcoming titles scheduled for the coming years.

Boseman will make his first appearance as T’Challa aka Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War — the ‘kick-off’ film to Phase Three of the MCU — which will be released May 6, 2016.

As always, stay plugged in to SE for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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Switching up the flow of news from the upcoming Doctor Strange movie, Kevin Feige has dropped some more (guarded) info on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Phase Three of their leviathan-esque franchise kicking off in 2016, Feige and company gave waiting fans what they can in way of news during a recent interview with Empire.

Among the topics discussed were Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, the recently acquired character of Spider-Man and — by no shall we forget — the Black Panther!

On Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, sequel to 2014’s summer blockbuster hit, Feige had this for us about the different iterations of the galaxy’s most uncoath team of ‘kinda-sorta’ superheroes;

“There’ve been many different incarnations of the Guardians over the years in the comics and we’ll catch a glimpse of additions over the course of the movie.”

About Thanos, the Marvel franchise’s looming villain who will undoubtedly go against the team (whichever incarnation that may be), Feige says;

“I wouldn’t look too hard in that movie for Thanos. The next time we see Thanos he will not be messing around. It will be, ‘Oh, that’s why they’ve been teasing this villain for five years!”

From cosmic threats down to the street level, Feige offered a word or two on the status of our friendly neighborhood web-head as well, and his stake in the broader MCU.

“Smaller scale is all relative….”, says Feige. “It’s going to be as big and spectacular a Spider-Man film as has ever been made. But it’s a Peter Parker story and has more opportunity to be focused on the story of a 15-year-old kid going to high school.”

From high school to the halls of Asgard, Feige went on to talk about what we may (or may not) expect from the upcoming Thor sequel, Ragnarok.

“I don’t think people will read into that title alone [regarding] what the movie’s going to be. It’s going to be, perhaps, as totally different from the two prior Thor movies as Winter Soldier was from the first Captain America. We want to take it to new places, we’ve got new characters that will show how big we’re swinging on this. And we have a Hulk… The film takes place within the cosmos primarily, which is to say, frankly, very little Earth.”

Ragnarok was previously alluded to in Avengers: Age of Ultron and — judging from the tone of the scene — the third Thor film hints of a particularly dire situation for our thunder god and his Asgardian brethren.

And last — yet certainly not least — Feige talked about the upcoming, increasingly anticipated, Black Panther film, its cast, as well as its connection to the MCU.

“This one is important,” Feige says “It’s a big geo-political action adventure that focuses on the family and royal struggle of T’Challa in Wakanda, and what is means to be a king. T’Challa’s story is very important to us as it links to the next Avengers films, which is why we brought it forward.”

Currently, Phase Three of the MCU will consist of; Captain America: Civil War, which will be released on May 6, 2016. Doctor Strange, slated for release on November 4, 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 on May 5, 2017, the yet untitled Spider-Man film on July 28, 2017, Thor:Ragnarok is scheduled for release on November 3, 2017, with Black Panther following suit on February 6, 2018.

All this leads up to the Avengers: Infinity War Part I on May 4, 2018, followed by Ant-Man & Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers: Infinity War Part II on May 3, 2019 and *shakes exhausted fingers* Marvel’s The Inhumans on July 12, 2019.

ALL this…with yet three more untitled Marvel film project set for May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020. It indeed will be a busy time for the studio and comic film nerds alike.

And while all this takes shape, be sure to stay plugged in to SE’s Comic Nook News as it all develops.

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