Black Panther gave us a spectacular big-screen introduction to Wakanda with a politically-charged
and emotional thriller that has important implications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here and today I'm discussing the thrilling ending
to Black Panther and what it all means for future Marvel movies.
In case you don't know already, I do regular videos about superhero movies, and I'm currently
also running a Black Panther giveaway.
For a chance to win, be sure to subscribe and leave a comment below about the movie.
Obviously spoilers ahead, so take care if you haven't seen Black Panther yet.
There are a number of themes woven into Black Panther that get some resolution by the end
of the movie, but let's start with the very final scene before the credits, which is when
T'Challa and Shuri visit the basketball court and apartment block in Oakland where the movie's
opening flashback scene was set.
There's an interesting symmetry between the beginning and the end of the film which demonstrates
T'Challa has made a concrete decision to lead a positive change in the world and correct
the wrongs committed by his father T'Chaka and Zuri, aka James, back in 1992, when they
confronted T'Chaka's brother about helping Klaue steal vibranium.
It was in Oakland where T'Chaka killed his brother N'Jobu.
Though he did this to save Zuri, his actions sowed the seeds of anger and resentment in
Prince N'Jobu's son Erik, aka Killmonger, when they chose to abandon him rather than
take care of him.
Unlike his father, T'Challa is determined to stop operating in secret and he openly
lands his Royal Talon Fighter on the basketball court.
Both in this scene and the subsequent mid-credits scene, T'Challa proves that he's ready to
reveal the truth about Wakanda.
He also wants Wakanda to have a positive impact on the world by converting the apartment block,
which was the location of the tragedy in the flashback scene, as well as the buildings
either side of it, into a Wakandan outreach centre, and he appoints Nakia as head of social
outreach while Shuri will spear-head a science exchange.
Of course, it's just coincidence, but given that Sterling K. Brown plays N'Jobu, this
moment made me think of the TV drama This Is Us and how Brown's character Randall buys
the run-down building where his father had lived so he could improve life for everyone
living there.
That final Oakland scene also shows the culmination of T'Challa's arc in the movie by proving
that he could be king and still be a good man.
If you're wondering what I mean by this, remember when T'Challa visited his father on the ancestral
plane after ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb for the first time?
Well, T'Chaka told his son, "You're a good man, with a good heart.
And it's hard for a good man to be king."
T'Challa later learned what his father meant by this when Zuri revealed how he'd helped
T'Chaka hide the truth about what happened to N'Jobu and his son Erik.
Finally, during their second meeting on the ancestral plane, T'Chaka admitted to his son
that he'd chosen Wakanda and its people over his nephew.
And that lie about the events in Oakland, that truth which T'Chaka chose to bury for
many years actually, as T'Challa puts it, ended up creating a monster in the form of
Killmonger.
These moments of revelation in Black Panther reminded me of Thor: Ragnarok – spoiler
alert if you've not seen it – because we discovered in that film that Odin had hidden
his daughter Hela and her role in violently conquering the Nine Realms.
Each of these stories involves concealing both the existence of relatives – T'Challa's
cousin and Thor's sister – and the violence sometimes used to maintain seemingly benevolent
rule.
And of course, in both stories, it's the sons who are left dealing with the damage caused
by their fathers' actions.
T'Challa is appalled by what T'Chaka did and takes Nakia's advice not to let his father's
mistakes define him.
As she said, "you get to decide what kind of king you are going to be."
And that's exactly what T'Challa does when he refuses to stay with his father in the
ancestral plane the second time they meet there.
Instead of joining his ancestors, T'Challa chooses to return to Wakanda and prove he
can be a good man and a good king by affecting real change in the world, sharing his nation's
resources and technology for the betterment of others.
By the end of the film, T'Challa's eyes have been opened by both Nakia, who told him she
had "seen too many in need to turn a blind eye" any longer, and also by the events that
led Erik on the path to become Killmonger.
Killmonger's death is another crucial moment in Black Panther.
In keeping with his beliefs, he preferred to die than be imprisoned, and his death in
front of the Wakandan sunset was an emotional link back to the words he shared with his
father about Wakandan sunsets being the most beautiful in the world.
In addition to the symmetry between the film's opening and closing scenes in Oakland, there's
also a certain symmetry around the fates of Killmonger and his father N'Jobu, each of
whom died in complicated circumstances at the hands of a relative.
T'Chaka had wanted his brother to face Wakanda's council for his crimes, but ended up killing
him to save Zuri.
While T'Challa was defending himself from Killmonger and Wakanda from his rule, but
ultimately offered his cousin the healing power of Wakandan technology.
As the movie's main antagonist, Killmonger's world view was very much in opposition to
Black Panther's outlook, but then the two men had very different upbringings.
T'Challa was raised in Wakanda, which due to the vibranium meteorite, was able to isolate
itself from the world and was therefore never subject to the colonialism experienced by
their African neighbours.
On the other hand, in many ways, Killmonger represents the African experience as a result
of colonialism, slavery and racism.
Erik was brought up in Oakland, which is both the birthplace of the film's director Ryan
Coogler and the city where, in 1966, the real-life Black Panther Party began with a focus on
combating police brutality against the black community.
By the way, 1966 was also the year Black Panther first appeared in Marvel comics.
In Coogler's film, as we learn from Zuri, Killmonger's father N'Jobu experienced discrimination
in Oakland and that led him to act against Wakandan policy by smuggling out vibranium
in an effort to fight back.
When Killmonger takes over as ruler of Wakanda, he declares that the sun will "never set on
the Wakandan empire", echoing the phrase used to describe the former Spanish and British
Empires, which were so large it was said always to be daytime somewhere.
Killmonger further overturns Wakandan traditions when he orders the burning of the heart-shaped
herb, and director Ryan Coogler reflects Killmonger's revolution and the fact he is turning how
Wakanda operates completely on its head by having the camera revolve 180 degrees from
an upside-down position as the new king enters the throne room.
Michael B. Jordan has said of Killmonger that, "He is always ten steps ahead.
He's very patient.
That's a very dangerous attribute to have as a villain because he's going to sit and
wait, and he's going to plan and calculate every move."
Killmonger gained both tactical and military skills on combat missions in countries such
as Afghanistan and Iraq, and he appears to kill his girlfriend and then also Klaue, who
he'd been collaborating with, seemingly without hesitation when he deemed it necessary to
getting into Wakanda.
Killmonger is incredibly effective and ruthless in carrying out his plan to take over the
nation.
Yet, despite his extremes, you can empathise with his grievances.
In short, he's an incredible antagonist.
And although, ultimately, Killmonger fails to complete his plans, the fact that T'Challa
was deeply affected by the experiences of N'Jobu and Killmonger and the actions of T'Chaka
means that other kids from Oakland can now believe in Wakanda and its incredible technological
advances without thinking it's just a fairy tale.
It really is good to see Marvel developing their villains better in recent movies and,
Michael B. Jordan is such a fantastic actor who brought so much to this film that it's
a real shame to think he won't be returning, but Killmonger did have a great arc.
The other great secondary villain in the movie was Ulysses Klaue, played in a brilliantly
unhinged and humorous way by Andy Serkis, and again, it's a pity his character is dead.
Of course, these are comic book movies, so technically any character can still come back
from the dead.
In fact, there is one Marvel villain I do think could make a stunning return in the
MCU for a very good reason, and that's a certain green goddess and you can check out my theory
on why I think we'll see her again right here.
An important recommendation that T'Challa followed from his father was to surround himself
with good people and it was his little sister Shuri who played a huge role in helping him
take back the throne.
She and Nakia are extremely loyal to T'Challa though both of them have a rebellious streak
and they encourage the young king to push beyond the status quo.
Shuri herself is constantly pushing herself to another level, actively developing and
improving her tech; indeed, as she told her brother, "just because it works, doesn't mean
it can't be improved."
In fact, that's something I think T'Challa takes on board in opening up Wakanda.
And it was great to see Shuri so excited in the final scene when her brother announced
she was going to lead the Wakandan technology exchange with the rest of the world.
I can't wait to see what tech she gets to develop in Avengers: Infinity War and I'd
love to see her meet Tony Stark at some point as I think their banter and talk about her
amazing inventions could be fantastic.
There's also the possibility she could don a Black Panther suit of her own in the future
and there's a hint at that via the toothed neckpiece she wears in some scenes in the
film.
By the way, I think it's interesting that the new Wakandan centre will be established
in Oakland because the next Marvel movie after Avengers: Infinity War is Ant-Man And The
Wasp, which is set in San Francisco and, geographically, Oakland is just across the bay.
In fact, the Oakland Bay Bridge made an appearance in the first Ant-Man And The Wasp trailer,
and I wonder whether there's a chance we could see Black Panther or some Wakandan characters
cross over into that movie later this year?
Another thing T'Challa achieves by the end of the film is a sort of repairing of relations
with the Jabari tribe, whose leader M'Baku does not take kindly to his request that they
join him against Killmonger as previous kings have not bothered to visit them in centuries.
T'Challa spared M'Baku's life during their ritual combat for the throne, but M'Baku already
repaid that debt when he helped save T'Challa after Killmonger flung him off the side of
a mountain.
Still, in the end, M'Baku and his people do rally to T'Challa's cause of saving Wakanda
from Killmonger, because they realise, as Black Panther explained, that this affects
everyone.
And in doing this M'Baku and his tribe have a huge impact on the final battle.
And talking of the final battle, the Dora Milaje also play a key role with Okoye literally
bringing a rhino to a standstill by fearlessly confronting her love W'Kabi as soon as she
realises that Killmonger is not the rightful king.
She's an incredible fighter, as are her Dora Milaje sisters, and I can't wait to see more
of them on screen.
Now, I spoke about how important the final scene is in showing how T'Challa is transforming
and opening up Wakandan society to the wider world.
And this could have a big effect on the rest of the MCU which we see the beginnings of
when T'Challa addresses the United Nations in the first end-credits scene.
And I've actually got a separate video with a full breakdown of that scene plus the final
stinger scene with Bucky and what it all means for Avengers: Infinity War, and you can watch
that by tapping right up here, or clicking the link in the video description below.
So, were you impressed by Black Panther's first solo movie and are you hyped to see
more of Wakanda in a sequel and in Avengers: Infinity War?
And which were your favourite characters in the movie?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to also subscribe to
enter my Black Panther giveaway!
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Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!