Complete ‘Black Panther’ Cast Breakdown
When it was announced that Black Panther was joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans were simultaneously excited and nervous. Those fears were put to rest with Chadwick Boseman’s explosive introduction in Captain America: Civil War.
The excitement only intensified with each new casting announcement for the Black Panther film. The cast is star-studded and expansive. With a bench this deep, a full character breakdown is necessary.
Before we get too far into cast details, here’s a reminder of Marvel’s vague plot synopsis.
Black Panther follows T’Challa who, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.
Royal Family and Advisors
Chadwick Boseman returns as T’Challa/Black Panther. With his father’s death in Civil War, he is now the king of Wakanda and the legendary warrior Black Panther. Though he’s spent his life training for both roles, he must make a difficult transition from prince to king.
Letitia Wright was recently confirmed to be Shuri. She is T’Challa’s headstrong younger sister. In the comics and animated series, she is seen challenging for the Black Panther role. Though she comes up short, she is still a very skilled fighter.
Angela Bassett will be T’Challa’s mother Ramonda. Because who else would you cast to play a queen.
John Kani will return as T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father. We have to assume this will be in a flashback considering his death in Civil War. In a nice bit of perfect casting, John’s son Atandwa Kani will play young T’Chaka.
Martin Freeman makes his second appearance in the MCU as Everett K. Ross. As a part of his work with the Joint Counter Terrorism Center, he presumably comes to Wakanda to advise T’Challa on coming threats.
Dora Milaje – T’Challa’s all-female bodyguards
Danai Gurira is the team’s leader Okoye and Florence Kasumba returns as Ayo, first seen in Civil War. Lupita N’Yongo is playing Nakia, who will also be T’Challa’s love interest.
Villains
Michael B. Jordan is Erik Killmonger. In the comics he is a longtime adversary of T’Challa. He is an exiled Wakandan who comes back and stages a coup to take over the throne. Being the villain will be quite a change for Jordan, as he is usually in the hero role. Of course, there’s no guarantee he is a villain in Black Panther, since Marvel routinely changes a few character aspects for the films to keep fans on their toes.
Winston Duke portrays M’Baku/Man-Ape. Another of T’Challa’s rivals, he strives to make Wakanda more primitive. He gets powers (and his name) by bathing in white gorilla blood and eating white gorilla flesh. This might be a hard sell in the family friendly MCU, so it will be interesting to see if any changes are made to his story.
Andy Serkis is back as Ulysses Klaue, an all around bad guy last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron having his arm cut off by Ultron. In the comics, Klaw is a constant threat to Black Panther and Wakanda. In the MCU, he was first introduced as a powerful gangster. Of course that will have been several movies ago by the time Black Panther is released, so things could have changed.
The rest of the village
Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, Daniel Kaluuya and Phylicia Rashad are also set to appear.
So what are your thoughts on the stellar Black Panther cast? Be sure to check back often for breaking news on the film’s production.
Black Panther is currently filming and scheduled for release February 16, 2018.
Source: Comic Book Resources
