Black Panther

Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Marvel Studios. It is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Chadwick Boseman plays T'Challa, the newly crowned king of the fictional African nation Wakanda, after first appearing as the character in Captain America: Civil War (2016). The film adapts characters created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, while building its story around Wakanda's secrecy, vibranium resources, and contested future. Its screenplay was written for Marvel by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole.

After T'Chaka's death, T'Challa returns to Wakanda with Nakia and Okoye for his coronation. He defeats M'Baku of the Jabari tribe in ritual combat but faces Erik Killmonger, a former United States Navy SEAL and son of N'Jobu, T'Chaka's brother. Killmonger seeks the throne and intends to arm oppressed people worldwide using Wakandan weapons. With help from Shuri, the Dora Milaje, CIA agent Everett K. Ross, and M'Baku, T'Challa challenges him. Their final battle occurs at Wakanda's vibranium mine, and T'Challa ultimately kills Killmonger. He later opens Wakanda's first international outreach center in Oakland, California, where his father once lived.

Alongside Boseman, the ensemble includes Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Ross, Daniel Kaluuya as W'Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M'Baku, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, and Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue. John Kani reprises T'Chaka from Civil War, and Florence Kasumba returns as Ayo. The film's Wakandan languages include isiXhosa, spoken by several characters; John Kani and his son Atandwa Kani also speak Xhosa in their roles. Ruth E. Carter designed the costumes, drawing on multiple African cultural references for the production.

Released in the United States on February 16, 2018, Black Panther became a major commercial and critical success. It grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker at that time. At the 91st Academy Awards, it received seven nominations, including Best Picture, and won three: Best Costume Design for Ruth E. Carter, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson. The nomination made it the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture. A sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, followed in 2022. Coogler returned to direct the sequel for Marvel Studios.