Marvel's bigwigs have a knack for topnotch casting, and Black Panther, the Marvel Cinematic
Universe's 2018 venture into the Kingdom of Wakanda, is no exception.
This film's sprawling cast includes familiar faces and new additions to the MCU, and, as
you may have already noticed, many of Wakanda's heroes and villains look — and sound — very
familiar.
Let's take a look at where you've already seen the talented men and women behind Marvel's
Black Panther.
Chadwick Boseman - T'Challa/Black Panther
As king of the isolated Kingdom of Wakanda and the man behind the Black Panther mask,
T'Challa has become both the political and literal protector of his people following
the death of his father, T'Chaka, during the events of Captain America: Civil War.
So we'd say he probably has a few more responsibilities than the average guy.
T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman has appeared in a number of hugely successful bio-pics,
portraying Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and a young Thurgood Marshall
in the aptly titled Marshall.
But the British American Drama Academy graduate got his start with a series of minor roles
in procedural dramas and soaps in the early 2000s.
In 2010, he landed his first recurring role on the psychological drama Persons Unknown.
Not bad — especially considering Boseman, who's also a playwright, initially wanted
to stick to writing and directing.
Danai Gurira - Okoye
Okoye may seem like a newcomer to Marvel fans who stick to the flicks, but, in the comics,
she plays a pivotal role in the survival of not only T'Challa himself, but the whole of
Wakanda.
As a member of the reinstated Dora Milaje — T'Challa's personal order of bodyguards
— Okoye is tasked with protecting Black Panther at all costs…even if he doesn't
look like he needs much protection.
It's no surprise that actress Danai Gurira's Marvel counterpart looks like she knows how
to handle herself with a deadly weapon.
After all, she trained with a legit sword master in preparation to play Michonne on
AMC's The Walking Dead.
She's also shown off the acting chops she developed at the Tisch School of the Arts,
going on to portray one half of a Nigerian couple struggling through fertility issues
in the 2013 drama Mother of George.
She'd return to the big screen in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me, playing Afeni Shakur,
mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur.
Michael B. Jordan - Erik Stevens/Killmonger
When Erik Stevens chose his supervillain pseudonym, subtlety must have been the last thing on
his mind.
We all know what kind of message a guy with the name "Killmonger" is trying to get across.
A former black ops soldier with a vendetta against T'Challa, Killmonger finds himself
teaming up with arms dealer Klaue in his quest for the Wakandan throne.
If you've got any taste in TV, you'll immediately recognize actor Michael B. Jordan from his
portrayal of Wallace in The Wire.
Following his season-long stint on the HBO hit, Jordan took his talents to Friday Night
Lights, joining the cast for its fourth and fifth seasons as Vince Howard.
In 2013, Jordan worked with future Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, portraying shooting
victim Oscar Grant in 2015's Fruitvale Station.
He'd later earn acclaim for his work in the Rocky spinoff Creed — and star in the ill-fated
Fantastic Four reboot, but we don't need to talk about that here.
Lupita Nyong'o - Nakia
Like Okoye, Nakia is a member of the Dora Milaje — but rather than remaining by King
T'Challa's side, the blade-wielding spy sneaks around the globe, gathering intel to keep
the isolated nation of Wakanda protected and informed.
Actress Lupita Nyong'o got her first big break in the heartrending 12 Years a Slave, which
snagged the young star an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
But sci-fi and fantasy fans will most likely recognize her as the voice of Maz Kanata in
the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
She also provided a vocal performance for The Jungle Book's Raksha, wolf mother to Mowgli,
in the 2016 live-action reimagining.
Forest Whitaker - Zuri
Drawing comparisons to Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi, Zuri is a spiritual figure akin to
a shaman with strong links to T'Challa's father, T'Chaka.
Part of the Black Panther's inner circle, Zuri plays many roles, including advisor,
mentor, and spiritual guide to the young Wakandan King.
Forest Whitaker is an actor renowned for his adaptability.
In other words: no matter what kind of films you're into, chances are you've seen this
brilliant actor somewhere.
Dig a gruesome, gritty historical piece every now and then?
You'll recognize Whitaker from his portrayal of former Ugandan president Idi Amin in 2008's
The Last King of Scotland.
Into genre-bending hip-hop samurai bloodbaths?
No prob.
You'll know him as the titular character from Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
And, as his appearance in Black Panther attests, he isn't averse to the occasional blockbuster
— in fact, he was recently seen in a galaxy far, far away, playing the guerrilla Rebel
known as Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Angela Bassett - Ramonda
The recently widowed Queen Mother of Wakanda, Ramonda has seen better days since the death
of her late husband and former Wakandan king T'Chaka.
But even in the face of such personal and political tragedy, Queen Ramonda persists
as a driving force on her son's high council.
Angela Bassett, who portrays the Wakandan matriarch in MCU's Black Panther, has cemented
herself as a veritable legend on the big and small screens.
In the '90s, she starred in a string of critically acclaimed films like Malcolm X, What's Love
Got to Do With It, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and Waiting to Exhale.
But Bassett would later bring her talents to television, nabbing big roles in a number
of Ryan Murphy-run shows like American Horror Story and FOX police procedural 9-1-1 alongside
fellow AHS alum Connie Britton.
Daniel Kaluuya - W'Kabi
Hostile toward outsiders and endlessly loyal to his allies — especially T'Challa — W'Kabi
is a force to be reckoned with.
Not only is W'Kabi Black Panther's right-hand man, but the chief of Wakandan security is
also a capable warrior to boot.
W'Kabi actor Daniel Kaluuya appeared in a handful of films in the early 2000s — along
with a recurring role in the British drama Skins and a well-received performance in an
episode of Black Mirror.
But it was a minor role in 2013's Kick-Ass 2 as Black Death that jumpstarted his rise
to fame.
He would go on to become a household name in 2017, when he starred in the award-winning
psychological thriller Get Out.
Florence Kasumba - Ayo
A member of the Dora Milaje, Ayo leads T'Challa's security unit with confidence and poise.
Introduced to viewers in Captain America: Civil War, she nearly came to blows with Black
Widow, during a confrontation about everybody's favorite big cat on campus.
While she's appeared in a number of German shows and movies, actress Florence Kasumba
is still relatively new to American film and television.
The soon-to-be star has only appeared in a handful of productions like 2017's hugely
successful Wonder Woman movie in which she played Senator Acantha.
And in 2016, she joined the cast of the short-lived Emerald City, an edgy reimagining of The Wizard
of Oz in which she played the Wicked Witch of the East.
Letitia Wright - Shuri
T'Challa's half-sister Shuri is definitely a runner-up for biggest badass in Wakanda.
With super smarts to rival the likes of Tony Stark and a penchant for powerful weaponry
— like her panther-faced blaster gloves — Shuri isn't afraid to take her tech-savvy
talents to the battlefield alongside her brother and the Dora Milaje.
Let's get one thing straight: Letitia Wright deserves all the roles.
She showed that she could lead a feature film in 2015, when she took center stage in the
award-winning Urban Hymn.
In fact, 2015 proved a huge year for Wright: not only did she snag a recurring role in
the sci-fi drama Humans, but she was also tapped to portray a central character in the
Doctor Who episode "Face the Raven."
While she's mostly credited with bit roles in British television shows like Top Boy,
Coming Up, and Chasing Shadows, she also starred in the Black Mirror episode "Black Museum"
as Nish, a visitor to the titular tourist attraction.
Winston Duke - M'Baku
M'Baku — known in the Black Panther comics as the super offensively named Man-Ape — will
thankfully not be taking his source material's pseudonym when he makes his MCU debut.
However, the young Jabari tribe leader doesn't look any less menacing, even if he's swapped
out his comic counterpart's full gorilla hide suit for more practical armor.
While M'Baku is a pretty well-known and feared comic book villain, the man behind the tattered
breastplate, Winston Duke, is relatively new to acting.
Duke, who has a background in theatre, began his television acting career in 2014 when
he guest starred on an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as a high school
football player.
That same year, the actor returned to the crime thriller genre, portraying Mini in a
seven-episode arc of CBS crime thriller Person of Interest.
Martin Freeman - Everett Ross
First introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Everett Ross is a CIA operative and former
head of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In Black Panther, Ross finds himself at odds with the vibranium-hungry Ulysses Klaue.
As it turns out, the smuggler isn't exactly about to go down without a fight.
Actor Martin Freeman is everywhere: from portraying Dr. John H. Watson in BBC's Sherlock opposite
fellow MCU-er Benedict Cumberbatch to stepping into the furry, oversized feet of Bilbo Baggins
in the Hobbit trilogy, Freeman's filmography resembles a laundry list of big-name flicks,
quirky TV shows, and everything in between.
After getting his big break on the British version of The Office, Freeman would go on
to star in a number of mostly comedic films including Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto
Trilogy and 2005's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which he played reluctant
and newly-evicted-from-Earth protagonist Arthur Dent.
Andy Serkis - Ulysses Klaue
One of the most exciting new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has got to be
Ulysses Klaue, our resident sociopathic South African arms dealer who was first introduced
in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
While actor Andy Serkis brings sadistic charm and a roguish look to the role, comic fans
will likely associate the name "Klaw" with Marvel's token sonic disruptor-wielding supervillain
made of living sound.
Believe it or not, mo-cap mogul Andy Serkis had only been working on TV and film for around
six years before Peter Jackson cast him as Gollum in The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001.
It was this role that inspired the "cyber-thespian" to dedicate his career — or, at least, a
good chunk of it — to motion capture performance.
Serkis reprised his role as Gollum in Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, and he's lent his talent
to the Star Wars sequel films as Supreme Leader Snoke.
But he's perhaps best known for his portrayal of Caesar, the tragic protagonist of the Planet
of the Apes films.
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