Iron Man, Captain America, Thor: the latter played by Australia’s own Chris Hemsworth, they have become household names thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They've also netted the company more than $US13 billion.
But the next name to join the roster, in Marvel’s 18th film, promises to be more than just a money-maker. This month, Black Panther – an African king also known as T’Challa – becomes the first black lead in a Marvel film.
Played by Chadwick Boseman alongside a “90 per cent African or African-American” cast including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o and Michael B. Jordan, it marks a culturally significant milestone for the franchise and the industry as a whole.
T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), left, and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Source: Marvel Studios 2018
'They become icons'
Black Panther’s executive producer Nate Moore told SBS News the team deliberately wanted to “make this film feel different”.
“We present a character that is so compelling that people want to talk about them way past the movie, that they become icons in a way that are accessible for a lot of different reasons, by a lot of different people,” he said.
Moore, who grew up as an X-Men fan in the small town of Clovis in California, ran the Marvel Studios' Writers Program from 2009. He says he was slated to work on the film from the start.
"It’s interesting, when I first started at Marvel, one of the first movies [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige wanted me to work on was Black Panther. It’s been a character I think this company wanted to get behind from the very early days."
Executive producer Nate Moore, left, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at the Black Panther premiere in Hollywood in January. Source: Getty Images for Disney
“It wasn’t until Civil War where we figured out how to introduce T’Challa”.
Controversial character
Modern Marvel fans will know Black Panther from his supporting role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, but the character’s legacy dates back more than fifty years.
The original Black Panther was created in 1966, during the height of racial tensions in the US, by comic book writer Stan Lee (later Marvel’s editor in chief) and artist Jack Kirby - both white men from New York.
Black Panther was the first black primary protagonist in mainstream comics, but as producer Moore says: “Even back in 1966, even more compelling than him being the first black superhero, was he was an African superhero.”
A copy of the Black Panther comic book. Source: AFP
"That is an entire continent of people who very rarely get something that is reflective of their experience."
What’s more, he says, they “made him not only the king of an African nation (the fictional Wakanda) but made that nation the most technologically advanced nation in the world.
"What they were really doing was subverting the common stereotype of what Africa was."
Black Panther was introduced in issue #52 of the Fantastic Four but wouldn’t go on to star in his own comic until 1973 in Jungle Action.
What they were really doing was subverting the common stereotype of what Africa was - Nate Moore
The character pre-dated the Black Panther Party - a political movement founded in California and aimed at protecting African Americans from police brutality and improving their socio-economic position. In 1972, the character's name was changed in a spate of comics to 'Black Leopard' to separate the two.
A 1976 issue, The Panther vs. The Klan, sees Black Panther travel to Georgia and fight imitators of the Ku Klux Klan.
Important legacy
Just as important to Moore, as a black lead in a film, is a majority black cast that speaks to underrepresented groups and moviegoers.
The film was shot Atlanta, where 54 per cent of the population is black, and a crowdfunding campaign ‘Help Children See Black Panther’ was also set up to support young people from Harlem in accessing the film.
Left-right: Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Ayo (Florence Kasumba) with the Dora Milaje. Source: Marvel Studios 2018
The campaign raised more than $44,000 thanks to donations from director J.J. Abrams, Chelsea Clinton and Ellen Degeneres, and Moore said the cast and crew have been following the success story.
“I think it’s fantastic. I think it speaks to representation and how important it is for kids. Not only to African and African-American kids, I think little girls need that, the Latino community and Asian community, we need to do more of this,” he said.
“I am excited for those kids to see the movie and I am glad we can deliver something that they can feel is reflective of them … we have to continue to find ways to do that for all the underserved communities because there are many and they all have stories.”
Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Source: Marvel Studios 2018
Boseman, who plays Black Panther, has signed up for five more Marvel films – including the next Avengers instalment Infinity Wars – and reports from cinema tickets site Fandango claim the film has become the highest pre-ordered Marvel title in its first 24 hours of availability.
This does have the potential to be a watershed moment
"I do think this does have the potential to be a watershed moment, if we can do our jobs as filmmakers and deliver something people really enjoy," he said.
“I think there are times when Hollywood isn’t as forward-thinking as our audience … I think audiences are ready for this.
Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Source: Matt Kennedy and Marvel Studios 2018
“What they really want to do is be entertained, but they like to see entertainment that is reflective of their experience."
Black Panther is released in Australia on 15 February.
