I Am Living for This Black Panther Teaser Trailer

After what seems like an interminable wait, we are at last blessed with our first real look at director Ryan Coogler’s take on Marvel’s Black Panther.

Following the first poster this morning, we longed for the teaser trailer’s drop tonight, and all of our feverish anticipation was more than repaid. I’ll wait until you bask in the glory of T’Challa & co., and then we’ll resume. Yeah, I watched it several times in a row, too.

Okay, are you back? Wow, right? Rather than tease us with mere surreptitious flashes, the trailer starts to flesh out the full, striking scope of Wakanda, and shows us all of the major players and a lot of the action to come.

It begins with a scene between U.S. Deputy Task Force Commander of the Joint Counterterrorism Center Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman, who appeared in the role in Civil War), and a chained-up Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis). Klaw asserts that there’s far more to Wakanda than meets the world’s eye.

(It’s also fun to watch Bilbo Baggins talk to Gollum, but that’s for another conversation.)

“Textiles, shepherds, cool outfits,” is what Ross offers of the African nation. “All a front,” says Klaw. “Explorers have searched for it. Called it El Dorado. Looked for it in South America. But it was in Africa the whole time.” As he speaks, we see Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, the Black Panther, descending into green waters and emerging to a cliff face of clamoring, brightly clad people, from which a futuristic craft later takes off.

And this is just the first thirty-five seconds! We then glimpse, in a series of rapid cuts: Danai Gurira as Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, the elite force of women warriors who guard T’Challa; Michael B. Jordan as the fantastically named baddie Erik Killmonger in the most awesome mask, who is threatening Wakanda’s dynasty; Angela Bassett as Ramonda, T’Challa’s royal mother, gorgeously white-haired; my soulmate Lupita Nyong’o as a member of the Dora Milaje, and Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister and princess of Wakanda; the Dora Milaje ready to kick all of the ass and take all of the names.

Of course, the main focus here amidst all of these incredible sights is T’Challa himself. Boseman’s warrior-prince-turned-king was the best part of Civil War, stealing all of his scenes and our hearts, and the mere idea of an entire movie centered around him seems like a gift that we are not worthy of. “You are a good man, with a good heart, and it’s hard for a good man to be a king,” the voiceover tells us. As T’Challa engages in acrobatic battle scenes in the heart of jungles, framed by waterfalls, and in fantastic cityscapes, I’m having trouble breathing.

We here at The Mary Sue have been anxiously following every Black Panther development, which is in the trusted hands of Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) and a stunning, all-star cast. To finally witness Black Panther come to life with vibrant landscapes, eye-catching effects, gorgeous costumes, and the promise of intense drama and action is beyond exciting.

Please pardon me while I watch the teaser once again, and be sure to tell me what you’re thinking in the comments.

(image: screengrab)

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Kaila Hale-Stern

Kaila Hale-Stern (she/her) is a content director, editor, and writer who has been working in digital media for more than fifteen years. She started at TMS in 2016. She loves to write about TV—especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery shows—and movies, with an emphasis on Marvel. Talk to her about fandom, queer representation, and Captain Kirk. Kaila has written for io9, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Awl, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and once published a Harlequin novel you'll never find.

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