Black Panther Is The Movie I’ve Waited For

Marvel’s Black Panther has arrived and it was everything I needed and more. I have seen it three times and each time, it gets better and better. The story, the setting, the symbolism, the culture and the list can go on and on. We first got our introduction to Wakanda in a end credit scene in Captain America Civil War. Captain America took Bucky to Wakanda to have him put back on ice, so he could mentally sort out the events from his last two movies. Captain America tells Black Panther, “If they know he is here, they will come for him.” Black Panther replies, “ Let them try.” They pan out of the window and we see a foggy horizon, luscious trees and a stone Panther statue. We literally had to wait TWO WHOLE YEARS to see what Wakanda was about, but it was well worth the wait. Lets get to it shall we?

The History of Wakanda

I went to see this movie on opening night at 10pm which means, by the time the previews were done I was already tired. It only took 30 seconds of the opening credits to fix that! We learn the story of Wakanda, a part of the African Continent hit with a meteor made of Vibranium, the strongest substance in the world. If effected all the plant life and when man came to be, 5 tribes settled on the land and called it Wakanda. The tribes were constantly at war until a warrior shaman received a vision from the Panther Goddess that lead him to this glowing purple heart shaped herb. The warrior took it, and it gave him superhuman strength and speed and he became the King and protector of Wakanda. Four tribes agreed to this, but the Jabari Tribe did not agree to this. For some reason they were being haters so they banished themselves to the mountains, while Wakanda used the Vibranium to advance their way of life and technology. When wars broke out around the world and chaos ensured, Wakanda vowed to hide in plain sight away from the rest of the world by using what looks like a Vibranium bubble covered by trees? Seems right.

Oakland, CA 1992

Did Marvel really take us to Oaktown?! YES THEY DID!!! 5 minutes in this is already the blackest movie I have seen in the last 10 years and my heart smiled. Thank you, Ryan Coogler. Anyway, we see kids outside playing basketball while N’Jobu is on a war dog assignment and it looks like he is plotting something with his partner named James. When someone knocks on the door, they think it’s the feds, so they hide the straps and the plans. James said it was two bald chicks and N’Jobu tells him to let them in because they won’t knock again. A younger King T’Chaka and two guards greet N’Jobu and we lean he is brother to the current King and Black Panther.  The King comes with a message about a man named Ulysses Klaue that triggered a bomb at the boarder and stole a whole bunch of Vibranium. N’Jobu is irritated and asks the King why is he there, and the King tells him to look him in the eye and tell him why he betrayed Wakanda. N’Jobu tried to play dumb, but come to find out, James is also Wakandan. His name is Zuri, son of Badu and was also on a war dog mission. N’Jobu explains that black communities are flooded with dope, over policed and face mass incarceration all over the planted because we don’t have the tools to fight back. With vibranium weapons they can overthrow governments and Wakanda can rule them all the right way. The King tells N’Jobu he will return home to face the counsel, and as N’Jobu goes to kill James for his betrayal, King T’Chaka kills him instead, meaning he killed his own brother. Back outside, the kids freeze in their tracks after seeing bright lights movie through the cloudy sky.

Don’t Freeze

  Present day T’Challa is on a Quinjet watching news coverage of his fathers death a week ago  (events that were covered in Captain America: Civil War) and the news anchor talks about the poor third world nation that is Wakanda. T’Challa is on a mission with his right-hand WOMAN Okoye who grabs a spear for said mission. T’Challa says back up won’t be necessary and she gives that infamous black girl ooookkkkk side eye; we KNOW you will end up needing us but we will let you find out the hard way. They see a visual of a caravan in which a girl named Nakia they are going to rescue is in.  Okoye tells him “don’t freeze when you see her”, as she hands him EMP Beads in which he replies, “I Never Freeze”. He exits out the bottom of the Quinjet and disperses EMP Beads which lands on the hood of every car, causing them to stall. As each driver gets out to investigate, we see Nakia in the back of a truck with a group of hostages. They discover Black Panther in a tree, and they start shooting, only the bullets don’t penetrate the vibranium suit. As Black Panther is about to attack yet another person, Nakia stops him, telling him he is just a boy that was kidnapped with the rest of us, alluding to the fact that he didn’t choose this life. Just as Okoye thought, he freezes at the sight of Nakia and they are both held at gunpoint. Out of nowhere Okoye comes and stabs the guy with her spear telling T’Challa, “you froze”. Nakia tells them that they ruined her mission and T’Challa tells her that his dad was murdered, and he will be crowned King tomorrow and he wishes she would attend. Okoye frees the hostages telling the elders to get the kids home and speak nothing of this day.

All three are back on the Quinjet, and while Nakia and T’Challa hold hands, Okoye announces that they are home. As the ship clears the Vibranium barrier, we see beautiful land. Luscious mountain sides, Warriors riding horses and a city that looks as if it is in the yar 2040. The Quinjet lands and we see many female warriors dressed as Okoye and T’Challa greets his mother and his sister Suri. Suri asks for the EMP beads back because she has made advancements to them. He states they worked perfectly, but she states there is always room for improvement. Off the bat she is branded as the smartest person in the country and the Princess. We have no choice but to stan. I can only hope her and Tony Stark meet up in a future Avengers movie. Queen Mother tells T’Challa she is proud of him and his father could not wait for the day his son became King and that their father is with them in spirit.

Paying the Price

In London at the Museum of Great Britain we see Killmonger looking at ancient artifacts awaiting help from a museum historian.  He asks about various items on display and Lady Historian is just rattling off tribe names and location in a tone that is very condescending. You know how you asks someone a question and although the answer is not commonly known, they act as if you are the LAST person on earth to know this information? That’s the vibe L.H. is serving and Killmonger knows it. He asks about an axe looking item and L.H says its from seventh century Benin from the Fula Tribe and he corrects her. He says it was TAKEN by British soldier in Benin but it’s from Wakanda and its made out of Vibranium. He tells her not to trip because he is going to take it off her hands. Lady Historian says these items aren’t for sale as she looks confused and honestly appalled that he would even suggest such a thing. Killmonger takes this time to remind her that her ancestors didn’t buy these either. They took that item just like they take everything else and my edges were on the floor. WAS THAT JUST STATED ON FILM IN A MARVEL MOVIE IN 2018? SOMEONE COME CHECK ON ME! Killmonger tells her that he noticed security following him ever since he walked in and she was so focused on what he was doing, she didn’t pay attention to what she was putting into her body. She looks at her coffee cup and grabs her stomach and falls while Killmonger calls for help. A girl at what looks like a pastry table says she is taking a break and we see her sneak off and manipulate the camera system, so to security on the monitors, it looks like a normal day. Klaue (seen in Age of Ultron) rushes in with a stretcher dressed a an EMT and starts shooting all the security guards. He uses his fake hand to shoot and break that glass testing the weapon to make sure it is Vibranium. Once it is confirmed, they take it and Killmonger takes a tribal mask just because he thinks it’s cool. Killmonger, the pastry girl and Klaue hop in the back of an ambulance and escape. Note that Klaue got his arm chopped off in Avengers Age of Ulton by Ultron in a warehouse where he was hiding all the Vibranium that was stolen and referenced in the first scene.

 Wakanda Forever

  We see each tribe represented on floats going down a river. There are beautiful tribal drums being played and we see each tribe color coordinated. Nakia is dancing on her float with her tribe, while Queen Mother and Suri dance together, and the woman warriors, known as the Dora Milaje are together on a float. Let me just say that when I saw this opening night, during this scene the entire theatre stood up and cheered. LOOK AT US!!!!!! The beautiful Kente fabrics, the music, the history.  T’Challa via Quinjet and he steps out into the water at a place known as Warrior Falls. As he steps out, he is greeting with singing by the whole village and as they pan up all you see is black and it is BEAUTFUL! They are singing in Xhosa and it’s a celebration. His mother is front and center.  We now see Zuri (James from Oakland 1992) and he is heading the ceremony. He presents Prince T’Challa as the black panther and gives him a solution that strips away his black panther powers. Once his powers are stripped away, Zuri asks if anyone from a tribe wish to challenge for the Mantle of King. Each tribe declines and all seems good until The Jabari tribe comes from the mountains. Their leader, M’Baku wishes to challenge for the throne. He feels like Wakanda scoffs at tradition, put their technological advancements in the hands of Shuri and they want to hand the nation to T’Challa, who couldn’t keep his own father alive. T’Challa accepts the challenge and M’Baku calls the Jabri men to surround him and T’Challa calls for the Dora Milaje. A GROUP OF BLACK WOMEN AS HIS ARMY. HOW COULD YOU NOT FEEL PRIDE AND POWER?! They fight for the mantle of king and rather accept death, M’Baku taps out.  Zuri presents him now as King T’Challa, the Black Panther and everyone cheers. T’Challa looks up at his kingdom proud and says what will now be known as an international greeting among black people globally: WAKANDA FOREVER.

 Doing His Father Couldn’t

T’Challa is in the garden of the heart shaped herb which is made into an elixir and given to him to drink. The drink is meant to restore his powers of Black Panther and take him to the Ancestral Plane as Zuri calls for the spirit of King T’Chaka to come get his son. The scene is visually stunning with blues and purples as there is a tree far off in the distance with panthers laying on the branches. One panther jumps down and transforms into King T’Chaka. They have a father and son talk and T’Challa tells him he isn’t ready to be without him. T’Chaka says a father that has not prepared his kids to be without him has failed as a father and since he never failed him, get it together and be a King. T’Challa asks how to best protect Wakanda and he tells him to surround himself with people he trusts and since he is a good man, it would be hard for him to be king.

T’Challa and Nakia are walking around the marketplace and he asks her to come home permanently, but she is on a mission to help those that are not as fortunate.  She wants to share resources Wakanda has to provide aid to refugees and T’Challa is against it because he feels if the world found out who they truly are and what they have, it will fall into the wrong hands because history shows……. You already know what I am going to say so I won’t say it. Nakia feels like Wakanda is strong enough to help others and keep themselves safe and T’Challa says she is too stubborn to be a Queen. She says her stubbornness is what would make her a great Queen.

We meet W’kabi, T’Challas best friend, head security of the Boarder Tribe and love of Okoye. W’Kabi confirms a past relationship for Nakia and T’Challa as T’Challa tells him Nakia’s plans. T’Challa fears that bringing foreign aid to the country, it will eventually be violent like everywhere. W’Kabi is down for war because with their technology advancements they will win but T’Challa is like no. It is not the Wakandan way. They both get a call on their Kimoyo Beads and Okoye calls a meeting. The heads of the tribes are there and she says Klaue has stolen some artifacts and is heading to South Korea to sell it to an American buyer tomorrow night. They have been after him for almost 30 years and not catching him was King T’Chakas’ greatest regret. W’Kabi’s parents were killed in that explosion so he asks T’Challa to kill him where he stands or bring him back for trial. T’Challa promises to bring him back, showing that although W’Kabi is all for war, T’Challa is all about justice.

Capturing Klaue

T’Challa heads to his sisters’ lab and we see just how smart Shuri is. He is being ushered by members of Dora Milaje and he salutes them in an arm cross and they take formation and stand by. Shuri greets him as “My King” and chuckles and he tells her to stop it. They slap hands and give the Wakandan salute to each other and I have decided that is how I want to be greeted hence forth and forever more. She tells him that she has sent a car ahead to Busan for the mission. He tells her that Nakia is going with him and Okoye on this mission and she asks if that is a wise idea, to bring his ex on a mission. He says it will be fine and if he needs extra help, he will have her on backup. Her lab is so advanced and she is developing the newest technology for the new Black Panther suit to go along with some shoes she made completely sound absorbent. She shows him new suits and he chooses one that looks like a simple necklace, but the suit is hidden in the teeth of the necklace. She asks him to kick it and as it glows purple, she shows that the nanites absorb the kinetic energy for redistribution.

  Nakia, T’Challa and Okoye arrive in Busan for the mission. Okoye has on a wig and she is hating it calling it a disgrace. So often we are taught that the European beauty standards are the bar and that our natural hair is not beautiful. Our natural hair is such a taboo topic that we can still be discriminated against for wearing it, so to see a bald, black woman warrior say it was disgraceful was a statement that needed to be heard. Nakia speaks Korean to the owner of a fish market and she lets them in as long as Nakia doesn’t cause any trouble, which lets you know Nakia is about that life. They walk through a back door into a hidden upscale casino and bar. As they stand at the railing their outfits resemble the Pan African flag and right away everyone notices and cheers. They split up with Nakia at the bar, Okoye upstairs still overlooking and T’Challa heading down to the casino. T’Challa spots Agent Ross from Captain America Civil War and T’Challa asks if he is here to buy the vibranium from Klaue. Ross said he is acting on behalf of the US Government and T’Challa says he is taking Klaue with him. T’Challa remind him that he gave the US Government Zemo instead of killing him and Ross reminds the King that he kept the fact that he has a bullet proof catsuit off the record, so they are even. Ross tell T’Challa to leave and he says he will as soon as he gets Klaue. Ross says that the vibranium Klaue might or might not have stolen, might or might have not been used in the attack in Sakovia (Age of Ultron) and he might or might not be here to make a deal with said person and after said deal is done, then T’Challa can have him.

Klaue shows up to make the deal and before it is done Okoye smells a set up. Okoye’s cover is blown, and a brawl breaks out and everyone is holding their own. We get to see just how great a warrior Okoye is and also how great a trained fighter Nakia is. As Klaue is about to escape T’Challa calls him a murderer which stops Klaue in his tracks. Klaue tells him that he looks just like his dad as his arm turns into a vibranium made weapon and blows up a cash box sending money and T’Challa flying. He escapes and hops in a car with Nakia and Okoye close behind. They leave T’Challa and throw and EMP bead on the head of a car nearby. The car materializes in Shuris lab and she gets behind the wheel and T’Challa jumps on the roof and holds on. While Shuri is driving the car from her lab in Wakanda (read that sentence again!) a chase around the city breaks out. We get to see T’Challa in full Black Panther mode as his suit is being charged from bullets being shot at him. On another street Nakia and Okoye’s car is being shot at and since it is vibranium, they actually look bored with the chase because the bullets can’t penetrate. Guns. So primitive.

Klaue shoots his arm cannon at the car T’Challa is riding on which dismantles Shuri’s interactive experience and causes the car to blow up. T’Challa uses his claws to take the tire off Klaue’s car which causes him to crash. Klaue tries to shoot T’Challa, but his suit absorbs the blast since it is full vibranium. T’Challa snatched his arm off and asks Klaue where he got the weapon. Klaue says they didn’t deserve it and he begs the King for mercy, putting on a show for on lookers. Okoye stops T’Challa from killing him telling him the world is watching and we see crowds gathering with cellphones out recording.

Who Has All The Vibranium?

Klaue is tied to a chair in an interrogation room being watched by Okoye, Ross and T’Challa. As they come up with an interrogation plan, T’Challa tells Ross he wants Klaue to face justice in Wakanda. Ross disagrees saying Klaue is in the custody of the U.S. Government and he is being nice by even letting him watch the interrogation. Okoye is annoyed as we all are, but T’Challa plays nice. T’Challa places a Kimoyo Bean on Ross’s shoulder which gives him a listening device in the room. Klaue tells Ross that Wakandan’s can’t be trusted. Ross asks for the name of Klaue’s suppliers and Klaue says Wakanda. He is the only outsider that has truly seen Wakanda and they use Vibranium for everything. Ross tells T’Challa that his father said Klaue stole all their vibranium and T’Challa asks would he believe a King or a criminal? Killmonger sneaks around back and blows up a wall and a shootout takes place. Killmonger escapes with Black Panther chasing him and he shoots him with a vibranium weapon that deactivates T’Challs suite. T’Challa notices his necklace and stops in his tracks and Killmonger escapes with Klaue. Agent Ross is shot in the spine trying to save Nakia. T’Challa puts a Kimoyo Bead in his gunshot to stabilize him and asks for permission to take Ross back to Wakanda to save him.

 Another Broken White Boy To Fix

On the Quinjet, Okoye and Nakia argue over the fact that they are bringing Ross back to Wakanda. Nakia says it is the least they can do since he saved her life and Okoye is against an outsider, that is also a U.S. Government Official back to Wakanda. Their secret society could be blown because it is his duty to report back his mission. They bring him to Shuri’s lab and she says, “oh great, another broken white boy to fix!” This is a call back to Civil War when Captain America took Bucky to Wakanda to undergo refreezing to sort his brain out after what Zemo did to him. After examining Ross’s injury, she says he will live. W’Kabi shows up at the lab looking for Klaue and T’Challa says he escaped. W’kabi is sad, annoyed and can’t believe his best friend and King failed his mission like his father before him.

We see Killmonger, Klaue and Ms. Pastry on what looks like a airstrip of some sort loading up a mini plane. Killmonmger says he wants to get back to Wakanda and Klaue says they don’t let outsiders in. Killmonger shows his war dog tattoo, letting them both know he is Wakandan. He shoots Ms Pastry and Klaue and is on his way.  Back in Wakanda T’Challa talks to Zuri asking who the boy with the ring is. Zuri tries to change the subject saying he promised the former King, but T’Challa remind him, I am your King now, so spill the tea. Zuri tells the story of his uncle being a traitor and helping Klaue get the vibraium.  He said years of being a war dog in Oakland radicalized him and since he knew his brother would not support his vision, betrayed Wakanda and helped Klaue. T’Challa is in disbelief as Zuri goes on to tell him that he has a son with an American girl, and they chose to leave him behind to maintain the lie. T’Chaka told Zuri to speak nothing of this and it is a secret he held until this day. Killmonger shows up at the boarder greeted by W’Kabi asking what he want, and he shows the body of Klaue, then W’Kabi asks who he is.

Erik “Killmonger” Stevens

Back in Shuri’s lab Agent Ross wakes up completely healed from his GSW and he is confused and taken aback. He is roaming around Shuri’s lab and when he sees her, he asks where he is. She says “don’t scare me like that colonizer!” and the whole theatre fell out. Did she just call a white man in Africa a colonizer? This movie is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to one liners. He is stunned at the fact that he was healed in a day by vibranium technology. Okoye calls Shuri and says someone showed up at the border with Klaue’s body and he is Wakandan and when his picture pops up Agent Ross says, “no, he is one of ours.”

T’Challa can’t be reached because he is sorting through his conversation he had with Zuri with Nakia and he is not taking any calls. He asks what kind of King and man kills his own bother and doesn’t give him a proper burial all while leaving behind his kid.  She tells him no one is perfect not even his daddy. T’Challa and Nakia head to Shuri’s lab to get the stats on Erik Stevens and Ross states he graduated Annapolis, MIT, Navy SEALs, racked up so many confirmed kills, he would be a great B613 agent. He specializes in dropping off the grid and committing assassinations to take down governments.  All in all, this dude sounds like a problem you don’t want to have.

Hey Auntie

Killmonger is brought in front of counsel and they begin to question him. He says he brought back Klaue, delivering justice, something your own King couldn’t do. T’Challa walks up on him and tells him in his ear, the only reason why he doesn’t kill him where he stands is because he knows who he is and asks what he wants. He says he wants to challenge for the throne.  The counsel laughs and Killmonger takes this time to tells them that they are sitting up there comfortable while people all over the world that look like them struggle to survive and vibranium can liberate them all. T’Challa says he isn’t King of all people only Wakanda and Killmonger reminds him that life started right there on that continent. Killmonger wants them to ask his name and Suri tells him that his name is Erik Stevens, a war operative. He states, “that’s not my name Princess.” Queen Mother is over the antics and tells T’Challa to dismiss him and someone in the counsel asks his name and he says N’Jadaka, son of Prince N’Jobu and that he found his daddy dead with panther claws in his chest and that T’Challa isn’t the son of a king but a son of a murderer. Queen Mother says he is lying then W’Kabi produces the necklace with the ring on it. Killmonger says, “Hey Auntie” and everyone gasps. He says he is there to challenge for the mantle of King. The tribes say it will take weeks to prepare and he says he doesn’t need the whole city, just T’Challa and he accepts.

Is This Your King?!

The heads of the tribe along with the Dora Milaje are at the challenge while the strength of the Black Panther is being stripped away. Killmonger takes this time to tell everyone how he trained his entire life just to kill T’Challa and they are shook. The fight begins and it was kind of even until Killmonger stabs T’Challa in the abs. He starts beating T’Challa and Zuri stops it. He tells Erik to spare T’Challa because he was the reason his father was dead. Killmonger says “I will kill you BOTH Uncle James!” and stabs Zuri killing him instantly. This shows how in touch with Wakanda culture Killmonger was because he didn’t call him Zuri, he called him by his war dog name James and adding the Uncle part shows how hurt Killmonger was hurt by Zuri’s betrayal. Zuri’s death distracts T’Challa and Killmonger continues his assault. IS THIS YOUR KING?!  He asks kick after kick, punch after punch.  He ends the combat by throwing T’Challa off the cliff while the Queen Mother and Suri screams. As Killmonger is named the new king, Nakia grab Queen Mother and Shuri and they run away.

Nakia and Okoye meet up in Shuri’s lab and Nakia tells Okoye to come on they have to go. Okoye says although her heart is with her, she cannot leave Wakanda. Nakia wants Okoye to help her overthrow the new King. Okoye says although she is with them in spirit, the king was killed in ritual combat and she is loyal to that throne no matter who sits on it. Nakia says she loved T’Challa and her country and Okoye says “then you serve your country” to which Nakia responds, “no, I save my country” WHEW! Okoye is loyal to the very end for her country which is why she is the greatest warrior Wakanda has, but Nakia has been in those streets and has seen more of the world. Both make very good points but lead very different lives. Nakia gets Agent Ross and tell him T’Challa is dead and to come with her unless he wants to die too.

   Killmonger takes the heart-shaped herb and is transported back to Oakland on the night his father was killed. It shows a young Killmonger finding his dads journal written in Wakanda dialect and his necklace with the ring that he puts on. His dad shows up and they talk and Prince N’Jobu tells him he wished he could have taken him to Wakanda since the sunsets are the most beautiful in the world, but because of his past actions, he feared his son won’t be welcomed. He says he gave his kid a “key” hoping he would get to see it one day and little Erik shows his war dog tattoo. Little Erik says he isn’t sad about his fathers death because everybody dies, giving you a glimpse of life in the inner city in the late 80s and early 90s. Death for black men were at an all time high so seeing death was natural. His dad said they can’t go back because the Wakandas will say that he is lost. Adult Killmonger responds with, “maybe your home is the one that’s lost, that’s why they can’t find us.” Killmonger stays dropping knowledge darts and we have no choice but to agree.

  He wakes up from the vision and is panicked and tells them to burn the garden. An elder says it is needed for the next king and he says there won’t be a next king. As the garden is set a fire, Nakia steals some of the remaining plant and sneaks off. Killnmonger takes the throne and he talks to the counsel about getting vibranium weapons to all the war dogs around the world so Wakanda can rise up and kill those in power, and when the war is over they will be on top. W’kabi the turncoat who is all #teamkillmonger agrees, saying the world is changing and its either conquer or be conquered.

 You Were Wrong!

We see Queen Mother, Shuri, Agent Ross and Nakia waking in the snow on the way to give the heart shape herb to M’Baku. Queen Mother is against it and asks Nakia to take it instead. Nakia says she is a spy with no army so that will not work. The Dora MIlaje are loyal to the throne, so they serve at the hands of Killmonger not whoever is Black Panther apparently. They reach M’Baku and tell him T’Challa was killed. He asks was the fight fair and when they say yes, he reminds them that he wasn’t murdered, he died in ritual combat which is a difference. Agent Ross tries to speak and tell M’Baku about Killmonger but the Jabari tribe start to bark and says he can’t speak there. They offer M’Baku the herb and he tells them that he has something for them. He has T’Challa on ice in a coma because he washed up on shore after the fight. Shuri wants to take him to her lab to heal him, but M’Baku says if you move him, he will be dead in seconds. They give T’Challa the heart shaped herb right there and he is once again taken to the Ancestral Plane.

He sees his father and goes OFF! His dad explains that he chose Wakanda and T’Challa tells him that he and his ancestors were wrong to turn their back on little Erik and the rest of the world and fear of discovery stopped them from doing what was right. He says Killmonger is a monster of their own making and he can’t rest while he is on the throne. T’Challa tells his dad his is not ready to die and he must take the mantle back to right their wrongs.  T’Challa wakes and is briefed by Nakia on the burning of the herb garden and the current state of Wakanda. Ross said Killmonger is trained to strike during transitions of power which is exactly what he did. T’Challa tells Nakia to take his mom and Shuri out of Wakanda and Queen Mother is against it. Shuri tells him that if Killmonger gets a hold of her technology, nowhere will be safe and she pulls out his panther necklace. Ross also says he is down for the fight and this little moment is interrupted by M’Baku yawning very loud and asking “ARE YOU DONE?!” He cares not for this little reunion happening in his office. T”challa thanks M’Baku and he says don’t worry about it. He owed him a life debt. T’Challa asks for the Jabari Army and M’Baku says no. He states that T’Challa has the audacity to even ask, seeing as how he is the first king in centuries to even to come the Jabrai mountains. To be clear, that is a Wakandan fight and he will not give any Jabari lives to the cause. T’Challa says he can’t speak for past kings and M’Baku still says no.

The Black Panther Lives

Killmonger is ready to launch ships full of weapons to send out to their war dogs all across the globe and as he states the world is getting ready to see exactly who they are, a ship crashes in the distance and T’Challa raises from the ashes. Okoye is excited and says he lives while Killmonger looks annoyed and W’Kabi looks like he has seen a ghost. T’Challa says he never yielded and he isn’t dead which means the challenge is still on. Killmonger says the challenge is over with and he is king now and he tells the tribes to carry out the mission as planned. T’Challa tells Shuri to shut it down and we see Agent Ross, Nakia and Shuri sneaking back into her lab. Killmonger tells W’Kabi to kill T’Challa and his facial expression changes. Okoye tells W’Kabi the challenge is not complete and technically T’Challa is still king. W’Kabi looks torn between his former best friend and the man that brought justice to his parents’ death. W’Kabi orders the Boarder Tribe to charge T’Challa and as they do, T’Challa has his suit and is ready. Okoye holds up Killmonger telling him his heart is so full of hate. He gets into his fighting stance complete with the black and gold Black Panther suit T’Challa passed up and while the Okoye challenges Killmonger, she sends her second in command to go protect T’Challa. On the ground Black Panther quickly defeats the Boarder Tribe and as the Dora Milaje fight what’s left of them, T’Challa asks W’Kabi to stop this. Instead, W’Kabi calls for the white war rhinoceroses which come and run through the crowd.

Back in the lab, Shuri gives Agent Ross Kimoyo Beads and tells him that they will send a ship virtually for him to fly since he was a war pilot and that his mission is to attack any ship trying to leave Wakanda. Shuri and Nakia join the fight and we see Killmonger fighting the Dora Milage and he is almost beaten until he uses some kind of force field situation to blow them away. As the Dora go flying Nakia sees this and charges Killmonger yelling, Wakanda Forever. Killmonger jumps over Nakia and goes straight for Shuri. T’Challa sees them fighting and runs to Shuri’s aid. T’Challa charges Killmonger and they fall, fighting in the air and eventual land on the sonic stabilizing track that deactivates the vibranium in their suits once T’Challa told Shuri to turn them on. T’Challa tells Killmonger that his plans will ruin the world, Wakanda included. Killmonger says the world took everything from him and it is payback time.

Back in the lab, Ross is fighting against an attack on the lab, so time is limited but he plans to use every second he has fighting the good fight. On the ground, Nakia is hurt but is still good to go as her and Shrui join Okoye and fight side by side. the Dora Milaje is surrounded and trapped by the Boarder Tribe which W’Kabi gives them three seconds to drop their weapons. Really???? Against your wife? Sir you know better. Anyway, just then the Jabari tribe comes and tells the Boarder Tribe to witness the might of the Jabari firsthand. W’Kabi uses one of the white war Rhinoceroses to charge M’Baku but at the last second Okoye stands in front of M’Baku and the animal halts, licking Okoye on the cheek. A black woman’s power. W’Kabi gets off the rhino and reaches for a weapon but before he can pull it, Okoye orders him to drop it. W’Kabi asks, “would you kill me my love?”. Okoye draws her sword and says “For Wakanda? Without question!” W’Kabi looks out and sees the war that has broken out and he drops his weapon and drops to his knees, causing each member of the boarder tribe to do the same.

Bury Me In The Ocean

Back on the stabilizing tracks Killmonger almost defeats T’Challa saying, “it’s over for you cousin!”, but T’Challa uses some tricky maneuver to stab Killmonger and even he said it was a good move. Killmonger accepts defeat and as he is kneeling there, he tells T’Challa that his dad said Wakanda was the most beautiful place he ever seen and that he was going to show him one day. “Can you believe that? A kid from Oakland running around believing in fairytales?” T’Challa picks him up and helps him walk to an elevator that takes them to a cliff side with an amazing view of the sunsetting on Wakanda. Killmonger said it was beautiful and T’Challa says maybe Shuri can heal him, but he refuses because he does not want to be locked up. Then comes the most jaw dropping, pivotal, earth shaking line of the whole movie. Killmonger says:

“So you can lock me up? Nah. Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships cause they knew eath was better than bondage”

  READ THAT AGAIN!!! AND AGAIN AND ONE MORE TIME FOR THE CULTURE! With that, he removes the blade himself and dies. T’Challa crosses his arms in the Wakandan salute. We see T’Challa wearing a sick Kente robe reclaiming the throne greeted by the tribe elders. Back in the marketplace, he thanks Nakia for saving him and his family and she says no need for the thanks it was her duty to fight for what she loves. They kiss and he tells her to stay, saying there might be a way she can stay and fulfill her calling.

The scene changes to present day Oakland on the same basketball court little Erik played on in the beginning of the movie. Shuri says she thought her first trip to California would be to Coachella or Disneyland, not a basketball court in the hood. She asks why here, and he shows her the building where their father killed their uncle and that since they are condemned, he bought them and will turn them in to the first Wakandan International Outreach Center. Nakia will spearhead the social outreach and she will oversee the science and information exchange. Shuri seems shocked as T’Challa touches a Kimoyo bead and transports a Quinjet right on the basketball courts. The kids all gather around it to see what it is as Shuri approaches them. A Kid approaches T’Challa and asks if that is his, then asks who he is and with that the movie fades to black.

  There is so much to unpack, I don’t even know where to start with this one. To see so much blackness on film that any white character was shown as a nuisance and irritating was a comical change of pace.  Whoever oversaw cinematography kudos! The lighting was so amazing and perfect it was hard to not be in awe of the rich melanin on the screen. Ruth Carter came through and bodied those costumes as she always does. With every close up, I was looking around like does anyone else notice how flawless the lighting of this black skin is?! The costumes were culturally appropriate, and I saw all on twitter different tribes from Africa telling the timeline which article of clothing meant what and what it is used for.  I loved how although the script was current day, it did not shy away from Black History and made many references to slavery in American History and all the parts they chose to leave out in schools. That’s another conversation for another day.

 The characters in this movie were so complex I will try and highlight what I liked about the main characters:

T’Challa

He was a complex King and he seemed liked he just wanted to be Black Panther. It was almost like he did not want to be King, not because of the responsibility, but because it meant his father was no longer alive. He seemed to go back and forth between history and his heart. Whenever Nakia would tell him about providing aid, his answers were almost text book and I wasn’t sure if he believed what he was taught or just doing what he had always been told. I love how we got to see his vulnerable side many times throughout the film and he wasn’t a King in the traditional sense. He surrounded himself with good people but his main protection came from black women. Even on the mission in South Korea, W’Kabi asked to go and he said there was no need for his presence, although he is chief officer of the Boarder Tribe and his main job is to protect the boarder of the country he rules over. He chose to take two black women, and have his sister on standby in her lab because that was all he needed. To see black women held in such high regard was refreshing and emotional to watch.

 Erik “Killmonger” Stevens

He had so many historic lines it is hard to root against him. He made sure to remind anyone who would listen about slavery and the oppression of black people all over the world and I often times had to look around to see if anyone heard what I heard. Did he really just say that?! Telling a white woman historian that her people stole those artifacts like they stole everything else floored me, but I mean there were no lies told. Killmonger wanted the right things the wrong way. Somewhere on his path vengeance consumed him and became the forefront of his mission. It was no longer about helping the less fortunate, it was about tracking down everyone loyal to Wakanda and the throne and getting vengeance, and if Wakanda was still standing at the end of it all so be it. The question is, was he really a villain or just not the hero? Although his motives were askew his vision for his people were clear. He was left to fend for himself after the death of his father while his ancestors lived a comfortable life. I would be pissed too. He had the blood of Kings in his veins and it did him no good because he had to pay for the mistakes of his father.

 Princess Shrui

When I first saw how smart she was I immediately thought of all the things her and Tony Stark can invent but then I was reminded that she is young. To have that much and influence at that age and to have a love for science was great to see. Scenes in her lab showed off just how much smarter she is than everyone and I was always excited to see what she would come up with next. She loved her brother and she used her love for science to keep him protected as well as her country. She used her brain and access to vibranium to further her country and you can’t be mad at that. Shuri was smart but she also was on the battlefield to fight for her country and with her brother. She was on the ground fighting while directing Agent Ross on his flight mission up in her lab and doing it all with ease.

Nakia

Nakia in some ways reminded me of Killmonger but non violent. She too wanted to share Wakandan resources to provide aid to refugees around the world, while keeping the protection of Wakanda in the forefront. She was a spy that went of missions to rescue those that have been kidnaped and she used her closeness to the throne to try and get further in her mission instead of the divide and conquer method. Although she loved Wakanda, she did not just accept what was and tried to combine her love for her country and her people. Let it not be overlooked that her spy abilities is what saves Wakanda overall. She read the situation at Warrior Falls and soon as T’Challa was thrown from the cliff, instead of mourning the loss of her love, she gathered the Princess and Queen to protect the first family of Wakanda. She snuck into the garden of the heart shaped herb and stole it for future use, had the idea to get it to M’Baku and ultimately gave it to T’Challa. Her instincts in the moment of conflict restored T’Challa as Black Panther and when he was back fighting, she joined Okoye and Shuri on the battlefield. One thing a black woman will do is read a room and save a situation.

Okoye

Warrior. General. Black Woman. Okoye let you know that she serves at the pleasure of the throne that T’Challa happens to sit on, not to T’Challa. Although they were friends, she never let friendship cloud her judgment when it came to the good of the country. She was proud of her bald head and tribal markings and was ashamed and embarrassed when she had to cover it up for the sake of a mission. She took pride in her position and her country and challenged Killmonger when he wanted to wage war against other countries because that was not the Wakandan way. She was a lover to W’Kabi but even drew her weapon against him when it came to the country. She didn’t bow down or cower to her lover and that alone is a flex. That showed you how powerful these black women are and at her word, W’Kabi dropped his weapon and every male solider dropped to his knees in defeat. There is power in her quietness and she only seems to speak when it’s absolutely necessary and her words can carry a room.

W’Kabi

I can sympathize with him because he just knew T’Challa, his friend was going to get Klaue and he didn’t care about anything else. When T’Challa failed, W’Kabi took it personally, almost as if T’Challa put his parent’s justice on the backburner for the sake of a mission. When Killmonger did what no one in 30 years could do, he clung to him because I feel like W’Kabi might have felt like he owed him a life debt. We can only assume that Killmonger told W’Kabi his story so more than likely W’Kabi knew his father, T’Challa’s uncles ultimately caused his parents death. Maybe he felt that T’Challa LET Klaue get away to hide that secret, we will never know. Even when T’Challa rose from the ashes and he was told to go kill T’Challa he hesitated. That lets me know that with W’Kabi it was all about avenging his parents death and feeling like he owed Killmonger, not for hate against T’Challa.

M’Baku

By far the comic relief of the movie, M’Baku is all of us on a Friday at work. Is it time to go yet? He challenges for mantle of King and looses and returns to the mountains. He puts T’Challa on ice to try and save his life because he owed him a life debt by not killing him challenge day. Although the Jabari tribe are outcasts and he doesn’t think much of Wakanda, he still vows to protect the Queen Mother during battle although he won’t give support in the battle. He shows up in the battle because T’Challa says he can’t speak for the past only the present and he will be different. Him showing up lets me know although he might not fully trust T’Challa and Wakanda, he is willing to give peace a chance. Him barking when Agent Ross was talking was the icing on the cake. On U.S. soil, Agent Ross might have all types of clearance, but in Wakanda he isn’t even worthy enough to be heard.

In this movie we saw Africa as the world leader in technology. They hid their advancements from the rest of the world, Wakanda was mud, dirt, poverty and huts. More often than not, African is shown as a poor third world country with poverty that no American can imagine but not here. Not in the MCU and not in Wakanda. Agent Ross was amazed and astounded looking out of Shuri’s lab window at how advanced they were and was blown away. But how? Africa is poor and so are its people, right? We got to see Africa at the top and it was a nice change of pace. Black people have to constantly sing the praises of what is good about our culture and how rich our history is, so to see it on film and for it to be one of the biggest blockbusters in movie history was a proud moment. It showed that a movie with an all-black starting cast, a black director and writer is capable of making box office history and let’s not forget there were Oscar Nominated actors and winners in the cast.  This movie broke records before it even opened, and it put the academy on notice. The MCU consistently raises the bar and this movie was no different.