Chadwick Boseman/T'Challa
Rewatching this movie was both fun and sad. Chadwick Boseman was very talented and a great man. His character got to be less broody this time around. Don't get me wrong, I love his arc in Civil War (2016), but it is so much fun to see T'Challa in a more relaxed setting. The beginning of the movie shows him as an awkward love-struck man. He has a classic sibling relationship where they pick on each other. Chadwick was an amazing actor, and I think we should consider ourselves lucky we got to see him take on the role. Furthermore, we should admire his courage to continue living full-steam in the face of such great adversity. He believed in things beyond his lifetime, and it gave him the strength to push forward. His real-life choices make him more heroic than the characters he played.
Michael B. Jordan/ Erik Stevens
One of Marvel's best villain performances seems to be, unfortunately, a one and done performance. Michael B. Jordan helps the MCU continue its hot streak of villains. Michael B. Jordan not only delivers a great villain but he turns in the best performance of the film. The character's anger is born of being short-changed in life. He was born the son of a prince and instead is given a life of an impoverished black orphan growing up in Oakland in the '80s. He fought his whole life for revenge against this injustice. He hopes this revenge will extinguish his pain. His story is truly tragic. The hero's journey begins with attempting to avenge the death of a parent/loved one, but Erik doesn't seem to take on the same righteous path as the hero would. Heroes move on from revenge and seek justice. Erik doesn't seek justice; he seeks the destruction of injustice. Heroes are faced with this dilemma constantly. In a way, we get to see what could have happened to the Batman or Daredevil type if they couldn't control their quest for justice. The character has a right to be angry but does that give him permission to destroy the world because, like it or not, that's what he's on a mission to do. If he can't have a just life, then no one can.
Design/World Building
Every aspect of the design is fantastic. In fact, the Costume Design netted Marvel its first Academy Award win. The costumes, the music, and the set design are all amazing. Ryan Coogler does an amazing job with his team to create the world of Wakanda. It's a totally new place for the fans to take in. A lot of work went into developing Black Panther. I'm no expert on design but everything looks unique. We see the beauty in the fields of Wakanda and the technological glamor of the Wakandan labs. The idea of a hidden world is hinted at the entire film. For example, the ritzy casino in South Korea is hidden behind a street market. The best place to hide the magnificent is behind something plain. I think the early foreshadowing in the film through design is brilliant.
More Black Panther Lore
I enjoyed learning more about the character. I didn't know a whole lot about the Black Panther lore before seeing the movie. The one thing I did know is that T'Challa beats up Namor every couple of years for some reason or another. Of course, Namor wasn't in the film so I had to assume he would be beating someone else up. What he ends up beating up is parts of his culture's history: the parts that were wrong. I particularly enjoy the mystical aspect of the Black Panther process. Getting to have conversations with leaders before his time is a great way to set up the changes to their society in the film. Again, the coming change was foreshadowed throughout. Wakanda is a paradise but the suffering of Erik Stevens makes the audience wonder: at what cost?
No such Place as Utopia
Early in the film, Shuri says, "Just because something works doesn't mean it can't be improved." That is the thesis of the film. Wakanda can improve even though it is seemingly a Utopia. Multiple characters bring up the idea of helping the world. T'Challa must decide how Wakanda will help the world. There is a reason that the Jabari tribe lives up in the mountains. They don't simply accept the gift of Vibranium as a replacement for a way of life. The Utopian lifestyle has blinded the morals of the Wakandan society. Wakanda is at a crossroads in deciding what things about their traditions are worth keeping and which ones aren't. Erik believes that all traditions should be eliminated other than those that elevate power and T'Challa believes that they should eliminate only the traditions that are wrong and keep the ones that are good. That's the battle of the movie: "Burn it all" versus "I must right these wrongs!"