Marvel Crush Monday: T’Challa
If you were one of thousands in theaters this weekend seeing Black Panther, you know that seeing Chadwick Boseman take on the role of Black Panther is a blessing. Yes, we’ve seen him as T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War, but this…this was in his ballpark on his terms.
When we left the theater, we were inspired by his character, both as he was in the beginning of the film and who he evolved into as it ended. When you look to a hero, when you look for a hero, you never want to find someone perfect. Rather, you want to find someone who makes mistakes and grows from them. Someone who desires to never stop learning.
For those reasons and more, we’ve decided to start a Marvel Crush Monday in the weeks leading up to Avengers: Infinity War and we couldn’t think of a better kick off than T’Challa himself.
Who: T’Challa aka Black Panther
T’Challa, son of T’Chaka and now king of Wakanda, is a hero in his own right. It’s not some supernatural ability that gives him his edge, it’s his passion and dedication to doing what’s right. See, his choice in Black Panther was to decide what type of leader he would be.
Why?
Like we said before, he’s the kind of role model you hope to find. The kind of role model you hope that your kids will find. T’Challa is the kind of hero you can not only relate to but strive to become. He’s resilient, he’s talented, he’s brave, and he’s more worried about the well being of those around him than what he would like to do personally.
He’s also smart enough to know the difference between being prideful and confident. He must fit into the role of king and to do so he must believe in himself. However, as the new leader of a nation, it would be easy to get a little lost. In all honesty, it would be expected. While T’Challa does stumble, he never allows himself to fall.
Instead, he relies on his younger sister, his tribe of warrior women, the love of his mother, and the wisdom of elders to realize that being king is a true honor, and a job as well. One you can’t shy away from or tire of. One you must fully embrace, especially when you’ve got the resources that those in Wakanda are accustomed to.
With all that brilliance and his desire to fully understand the world around him, T’Challa has given us some very memorable quotes. Two of which sum up his journey to becoming king.
In Captain America: Civil War he realized that the entire situation that they were in was sparked by one man’s desire to get revenge. He sat down his helmet, so to speak, and promised he wouldn’t let that emotion take over his heart.
- “Vengeance has consumed you. It’s consuming them. I am done letting it consume me.”
In Black Panther, many of his lines of dialogue were memorable, however, this one sticks out above many of the rest. After coming to understand what was truly at the root of Erik Killmonger and understanding Nakia’s need to bring Wakanda’s riches to those around them, T’Challa decided to take a step that would go on to change the world.
“More connects us than separates us — but in times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one tribe.”
As we look forward to Avengers: Infinity War, we understand that with the film comes great change. From that change, some of which will be heartbreaking, we hope to see T’Challa take on a leading role in the MCU. He’s the kind of hero that can make an impact.
‘…but I knew him’
