Though it took a long time to get to the big screen, Black Panther was a massive hit for the MCU and one of the most talked-about movies in recent memory. The Ryan Coogler film explored the world of Wakanda and T'Challa aka Black Panther's role as its new king.
Given the ground-breaking success of the film, it's not surprising that the sequel is in development, thankfully with Coogler and the cast returning. However, while there are plenty of things we want to see more of in the sequel, there are ways it could be even better. Here are some of the ways Black Panther 2 can improve the franchise and some things it should do the same.
10 Improve: Better CGI
Coogler proved his action director chops with his intense boxing scenes in Creed and he continued to show off his skills in this film. The waterfall fights and the casino sequence were great action sequences. Unfortunately, the third act action was letdown by shoddy CGI.
The climactic battle between T'Challa and Killmonger should have been a gripping moment, but the video game look was a distraction. Hopefully, the sequel can deliver some better graphics that boost the action rather than deflate those scenes.
9 Keep The Same: Bold Storytelling
MCU films can sometimes be accused of safe and familiar storytelling. Though that can be a fair criticism at times, Coogler was interested in asking some powerful and thought-provoking questions in Black Panther.
The movie maintains the comic book mythos of Wakanda as a secret and hidden society, but Coogler questions the ethics of a place like this not sharing its resources to help its oppressed people around the world. Coogler should be allowed to continue using such a large platform to explore topical issues.
8 Improve: Wakanda Revealed
At the end of Black Panther, T'Challa makes the decision to open Wakanda up to the world and sharing its resources with people who need them. Seeing as it happened at the end of the film, there wasn't quite time to explore this idea in great detail.
The impact of this very significant development has yet to be seen in the MCU either. While that is not the fault of the Black Panther franchise, hopefully by the time the sequel comes around, it won't be too late to dive into the fallout of this reveal.
7 Keep The Same: Wakanda's World Building
The universe of the MCU has grown into the cosmos and other dimensions, yet Wakanda was still one of the most interesting aspects of the universe at large. Coogler and his team did such an incredible job making this feel like a real lived-in world that exists.
From the costumes to the customs to the culture, the movie was enriched by the world-building of Wakanda. The sequel should keep its focus there. We don't need to see T'Challa going on adventures elsewhere in the world. Allow Wakanda to continue to grow.
6 Improve: T'Challa Front And Center
T'Challa was introduced as the newest MCU hero in Captain America: Civil War and instantly became a fan favorite. By the time his first solo film came around, fans were ready to see him step into the spotlight.
While T'Challa was certainly the main character of the film, it's hard to say the focus of the story was on him. With this world to explore and new characters to introduce, T'Challa was not given a lot of opportunities to grow. Now that things have been established, hopefully, he can have a more substantial role in the sequel.
5 Keep The Same: Shuri
One of the new characters introduced in Black Panther was Shuri who instantly stole the show. She is T'Challa's hilarious younger sister who may also be the smartest person in the MCU. She is like the Q to T'Challa's James Bond, outfitting him with all the latest gadgets.
Clearly the sequel needs to keep Shuri as a big part of the film as she likely has a long future in the MCU. It would be nice to see her pulled into the story a little more as well instead of being a side character.
4 Improve: T'Challa As King
Following the events of Civil War, T'Challa becomes King of Wakanda. This sets the stage for his struggle to deal with the new responsibilities as the leader of a nation. But with all the other story elements going on, we don't get to spend much time with T'Challa the ruler.
This would be an interesting aspect of the character for the sequel to explore. Is he a popular king? Is there backlash amongst his people for exposing Wakanda? There are many thrilling possibilities to explore.
3 Keep The Same: Wakanda's History
When Erik Killmonger reveals himself to T'Challa, the new king has to face the uncomfortable truth about Wakanda's past and his own father. It is revealed that King T'Chaka killed his own brother and left his young son, Erik, alone in order to protect Wakanda's secret.
This revelation is one of the most powerful moments in the film. There is a lot that can be explored by looking into the history of Wakanda and uncovering its secrets and mistakes as T'Challa tries to make it into the utopia it strives to be.
2 Improve: Love Story
The MCU has always had a bit of a spotty record when it comes to their romances. Black Panther is not one of the worst, but it shows room for improvement. The relationship between T'Challa and Nakia needs to decide which path it should take.
Thankfully, Nakia is a much more rounded character than a simple love interest. If the sequel abandoned the romantic storyline and just kept her as a character, it would be welcome. If the sequel wants to pursue the romance, it needs to make it much more compelling.
1 Keep The Same: Complex Villain
In the early days of the MCU, many criticized the films for their lack of interesting villains. It seems the cinematic universe has turned a corner and delivered some truly great bad guys, including Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.
With a powerful performance by Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger was an intimidating villain who had motivations that were easy to understand and sympathize with. Hopefully, Coogler can create another memorable villain that will help to elevate the story.
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June 17, 2020 at 05:30AM
