Black Panther, the newest addition to the Marvel cinematic universe, is the story of T’Challa and his rise to kingship after the death of his father in Captain America: Civil War. 

The overall story of Black Panther was a coming of age story for T’Challa as he becomes king and has to come to terms with his father’s mistakes, which directly lead to the villains’ creation. He also had to decide what kind of king he wanted to be, with his ex-girlfriend wanting him to tell the world about there technology and help others while the rest wanted to keep their land a secret, as they have always done.

The royal family in the movie had an amazing chemistry with each other. The queen did not show up much in the movie itself; however, she was more in the background helping T’Challa accomplish his goals. The real bond was there when T’CHalla and his sister, Shuri, were on screen together. Shuri’s teenage sarcasm was a nice contrast to T’CHalla’s serious approach to life and made for some very comedic moments.

The villain, Killmonger, had a great motivation that sets him apart from other Marvel villains. He grew up in the ghetto and had always heard stories about Wakanda. One day, the king showed up and killed his father which brought on his malicious motives. He later joined the US special forces and became an extraordinarily dangerous killer before setting his plan in motion to take over Wakanda. He provides a good contrast to T’Challa as he is full of hatred and rage; but he has much the same goal as T’CHalla, just using a different method: war compared to humanitarian aid.

Wakanda in itself was a beautiful country, with a nice blend of African culture and advanced technology that gave the country a unique feel to it. The traditions and art found in the film showed the cultural side of the country even while the technology prominently displayed.

Black Panther is so popular because of the fact that it is the first mainstream superhero movie that has African heroes play the main roles. It challenges the traditional views on how westerners see Africa and allow for a glimpse into their culture more than what other well-known movies show. 

Black Panther was a creative movie that expanded upon a great hero and introduces new concepts into the superhero universe. The movie is scheduled to come out on Blu Ray and digital streaming in May of 2018. If that is too far away, Black Panther can still be seen in theaters.