Friday 9 July 2021

Marvel Knight's Black Panther

 


A six episode animated mini-series, showcasing the rise of Prince T'Challa to the throne,  A gallery of villains spearheaded by Klaw, Black Panther's well noted villain from comic book history, and the geo-political interests that the nation of Wakanda presents to a contemporary world.

In many respects there are similarities to the Ryan Cooglier movie, but this mini-series approaches its main character as a decisive protagonist right out of the gate.  To begin with the animation predates the MCU movie by eight years, released on DVD in January 2010.  This Black Panther is assertive and definitive in his decisions; in the MCU movie the entire supporting cast drives the movie forward as its star the late Chadwick Boseman sits back and lets each of his co-stars shine by bouncing of his performance. Marvel Knight's Black Panther offers an equally impressive cast of actors providing their voices Kerry Washington, Djimon Hounsou, Stan Lee, Jill Scott, Alfre Woodard, and Carl Lumbly to name a few.  Prince T'Challa in disguise, is similarly to Wonder Woman's Diana Prince disguise to win a tournament and enter a mission into the world of Man, T'Challa enters a tournament to become the new king of Wakanda. Whereupon immediately assuming command his decisions are steadfast and revolves around the safety of his people.


In the comics, T'Challa and X-men's Ororo  (Storm) have a budding relationship, their history is touched upon here and opens a door to a cast of villain's including X-men nemesis Juggernaut, the Radioactive man, Batroc the Leaper, Black Knight and Klaw.  The coming of these enemies is a well constructed all out assault from many fronts; the feeling is Black Panther and the Wakandans are out matched and outsmarted, which brings high stakes and tensions to a really invested  viewer. It's within these positioned conflicts where we meet the royal family of Shuri, the younger sister, his mother and his uncle as the deadly onslaught escalates. .


A surprise guest reveal is Deathlok, or the origins of the Deathlok program, and how the US government uses their technology and military expertise to try and win over Wakanda.  With a prevailing sense  and clearer understanding of their position to the rest of the world, like the United Nations, Wakanda refrains from joining and sharing their knowledge and resources to the world and has been unconquerable for centuries; as noted throughout recorded history.  The world runs on a capitalist's model, so there are those who do benefit but many are misfortunate as they suffer, either by poverty, famine, sickness, war, or the experience of an injustice  prejudice. Wakanda is not a democracy, but remains in a dictatorship, however they have an annual tribal election to see who will be the successor as its new king, and for decades the title has remain in T'Challa's family lineage. The secrets and knowledge that the El Dorado known as Wakanda is said to potentially reshaping to the modern world.. The internal dialogue to in fact share does weigh in storied comics, and largely in the establishing MCU movie.

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