Countdown to ‘Endgame’: Our Favorite Moments From ‘Black Panther’

Conny
9 Min Read

We are only a few days away from the premiere of Avengers: Endgame and as the release date approaches and we reach the end of this journey, we want to look back on everything that brought us here. We’ve watched these heroes struggle, grow, and save humanity over the last ten years and share some of our favorite moments of their stories. We will be going through each phase in order, covering every movie leading up to April 26.  Next up is one of the most highly anticipated MCU movies and since its release, most widely critically acclaimed  – Black Panther. Not only was it the first Marvel movie to be nominated for Best Picture at The Oscars, it also won several awards and gained recognition for its inclusiveness.

Image courtesy of IMDb.com.

Here are some of our favorite moments, scenes and tidbits about Black Panther.

Sarah:

I loved everything about this movie. The music, costumes, cast, and overall production were remarkable. From beginning to end you could not help but feel the emotions, meaning, and power behind this film as we get taken on this journey with T’Challa. From losing his father and taking his role as King of the African nation Wakanda and the powers and responsibility that comes with that as well as being Black Panther.

“You get to decide what kind of king you are going to be.”

Image courtesy of IMDb

One of my favorite things about this film is how the women are portrayed as strong warriors. A beautiful example is Okoye who is the general of the Dora Milaje and head of Wakanda’s forces. As well as T’Challa’s sister, Shuri who at 16 is smart, dare I say more so than Tony Stark, she designs technology for the country that is imaginative and advanced. Her wit and humor add to the moments. Generally, in films when the villain dies or gets caught you are happy, I had tears in my eyes when Killmonger says that he wants to die a freeman instead of being healed and imprisoned, the writing had me invested in all the characters.

Image courtesy of IMDb

Wakanda Forever!

Deb:

I hope people don’t come after me with pitchforks when I say that I consider myself a casual Marvel fan. The reason I say this is because I was not a comic book kid growing up.I knew nothing about any of the Marvel characters back stories when the Avengers saga began with Iron Man in 2008.That being said, as the Avengers universe expanded, with each new movie, I found myself getting caught up in all things Marvel. I love all the movies and how they are linked together.

What I enjoyed about Black Panther was the way it introduced us to an entirely new culture along with a new superhero. A culture that is based on very advanced technology intertwined heavily with cultural traditions. I was also excited to see Denai Guerrera portraying Okoye. I have been a fan of Guerrera’s since she made her first appearance as Michonne on The Walking Dead. Michonne and Okoye are both strong female characters that lead by example and are not afraid to kick ass when it’s needed.

Okoye ROCKS!

Image courtesy of IMDb

Emelie:

Before the introduction of T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War (2016), I had only heard of him in passing, but my interest was definitely peaked. I had high hopes for Black Panther but at the same time I didn’t want to set my expectations too high since there is always that lingering thought when Marvel releases a new character movie; “What if this is the one that flops?” History would show that there was no need for me to be worried, Black Panther is currently the highest grossing movie in the Marvel universe, and it is not hard to see why. The journey of self discovery that T’Challa goes through pulls you in, from fighting to pick up his father’s mantle to discovering he had an unknown cousin and then finding an unexpected ally in M’Baku.

To me, one of the best things with this movie is the amount of pure female power present. Every woman we are introduced to is a multifaceted powerhouse, ready to take on anyone standing in their way, each with their own personal touch. The Dora Milaje ready to protect their king and their country, princess Shuri with her technical genius, and queen Ramonda with her diplomacy.

Ramonda as played by Angela Bassett. Image courtesy of IMDb

I absolutely can’t wait to see what the future has in store for these characters!

Conny:

This movie made history for several reasons and it rightfully is one of the most successful Marvel movies of all time. This film gave a new audience representation it had severely lacked in the past, and it did that in a visually stunning way. Next to the diverse characters, the visuals are what makes Black Pantherso impressive. It starts with the make-up, hair and costume departments, which all did amazing jobs with portraying the looks of Wakanda and its people. We can see so many influences of tribes, countries and traditional African fashion in this fantasy-country, which helps with showing new sides and the diverse looks of this entire continent that is too often reduced to certain stereotypes. I loved seeing the different characters, fashion and the mannerisms the different tribes within Wakanda itself showed, especially the Jabari Tribe which is led by M’Baku (played by Winston Duke).

What I loved about the movie is also the different ways that it portrayed female characters and their strengths without sexualizing them in any way. From Shuri as a scientific genius with a great sense of humor (vine-references, anyone?), to Nakia (played by Lupita N’yongo) who is a strategist and adviser and of course Okoye as the leader of the Wakandan warriors.

Image courtesy of IMDb

The villain narrative is also interesting to see because it showed some actual problems in the world today (immigrant and refugee crises) and tries to connect that to a family tragedy and the conflicts of a new leader.

My favorite scenes are the ones with Shuri and T’Challa showing some sibling banter and of course Shuri saving the day with her technology. One of the scenes that stuck with me was the scene between Okoye and her partner, where Okoye was ready to kill her lover for her country. She showed so much strength and loyalty, which was truly impressive.

Stay with Nerds and Beyond for more Marvel moments as we count down to Endgame!

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By Conny
Conny joined her first fandom at the tender age of three and somehow never stopped finding new things to obsess about and love. Her current love is everything Marvel, especially two characters who tend to be frozen at one point or the other. From Drag Race to Harry Potter or musical theatre, as long as it makes her smile (or cry), it’s probably her thing.
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