Black Panther is in something of an odd position: it is both a singular film which has won immense praise on its own terms, but also a film that must serve a function as a piece in the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a break from typical Marvel fashion, Coogler seems uninterested in engaging directly with the surrounding Marvel movies; outside of the obligatory post-credits sequence and one throw-away line, Black Panther makes no allusion to any major characters or events in any of the other series entries. This may well be part of the film’s formula for success: there is no barrier to entry for new fans in terms of plot or character backstory. The film takes care to help us understand everything we need to know about these characters within the first act. Whether or not this decision played a part in the film’s critical or commercial success can’t be said with certainty, but it is at the time of this writing the highest grossing Marvel film ever in terms of the North American box office (the recently released Avengers: Infinity War has a chance of passing Black Panther but current projections make it seem unlikely).
Despite the fact that Black Panther can be approached entirely on its own terms, it does have a strong connection to some of the other Marvel films. T’Challa was first introduced to audiences in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War. In that film, we actually see the circumstances of T’Chaka’s death: a terrorist named Helmut Zemo (played by Daniel Brühl) bombs a U.N. conference which Wakanda’s delegation is attending, killing T’Chaka in the process. T’Challa swears that he will avenge his father’s death, at first attempting to track down Captain America supporting character Bucky Barnes (who was framed by Zemo for the attack), bringing him into conflict with other Marvel characters. This film depicts T’Challa as angry and relentless in his pursuit of Barnes, a far cry from the playful and controlled depiction we see in Black Panther. Part of this can be explained by the events of Captain America taking place so soon after T’Chaka’s death, and partly also because the film predates Coogler’s involvement in developing the character (he and Boseman each surely had their own interpretations of and ideas for T’Challa’s persona). But put together, the two films also seem to form a unified meta-arc for T’Challa’s character. When he finally learns that Zemo was the true culprit of T’Chaka’s killing, T’Challa confronts him and contemplates killing him, but ultimately chooses not to. T’Challa notes that the quest for vengeance against the Avengers has warped Zemo’s soul, and T'Challa resolves that he will not allow himself to follow the same path. In Black Panther, we find that T’Challa frequently strives to avoid violence where possible, perhaps having learned a valuable lesson in the previous film. He also faces an opponent in Killmonger who is filled with rage and on his own quest to avenge his own father’s killing. A frequent Marvel viewer might see in Killmonger a dark reflection of that more violent incarnation of T’Challa in Captain America. T’Challa might see that reflection himself, explaining his implicit understanding of Killmonger’s motives. So even though the principal creative forces behind Black Panther had little if anything to do with Captain America: Civil War, the earlier film does enrich the later in at least some way.
It’s difficult to predict what role Black Panther will play in future Marvel films. Avengers: Infinity War returns to Wakanda, but does not meaningfully expand on the characters, themes, or world of Black Panther. That film sees Wakandans fight on behalf of the Avengers, but we don’t get to see if this sudden and extreme risk taken on for outsiders rankles Wakanda’s traditionalists at all. For these insights, we will likely have to wait for mainline Black Panther sequels, which may explore the potential pitfalls of T’Challa’s decision to open the country. That decision made for a cathartic thematic closing of the film, but practically its effects are very uncertain, with many possibilities left open by the inevitable existence of sequels. In this way, the film both is and is not a complete story, both because there must be sequels and because the characters must make appearances in the films of other Marvel characters. Therefore the film’s story and thematic arc cannot be viewed exclusively as a closed loop; any analysis of it must make room for the possibility of further development and change.
