At this point, anyone who's remotely familiar with Avengers: Infinity War knows that it's going to be jam-packed with heroes, from the Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many others in between. Nevertheless, there was one particular hero who fans may have been expecting to show up during the event, but hadn't actually been confirmed to appear. Now it's official: Black Panther will be unsheathing his claws for Avengers: Infinity War. Here's how actor Chadwick Boseman broke the news to fans:
Chadwick Boseman made Black Panther's inclusion official today straight from the Avengers: Infinity War set by posting the above video on his Twitter page of his T'Challa chair nestled between the ones marked "Natasha Romanoff" and "Steve Rogers." In other words, Boseman gets to sit next to Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans when they're not fulfilling their Black Widow and Captain America duties. (The drum is a nice touch, too.) While knowing for a fact that Black Panther will appear in Avengers: Infinity War is welcome, it's also interesting that the background looks like a jungle. Almost as if it's supposed to be T'Challa's homeland, Wakanda. That hasn't been confirmed yet, although given that it was reported last week that M'Baku, better known in the comics as Man-Ape, will show up in the blockbuster, it seems likelier than not that we'll be spending a little time in the advanced African nation.
Black Panther was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe last year in Captain America: Civil War, finding himself drawn into the conflict after his father, T'Chaka, was killed in the Vienna bombing. Believing Bucky Barnes was responsible for his father's death, T'Challa donned the vibranium-woven suit and tried to eliminate the former Winter Soldier. He even joining forces with Iron Man's pro-Sokovia Accords team later to accomplish this goal. However, upon learning that Helmut Zero was the true culprit, T'Challa captured the terrorist and dropped him off at the Joint Counter Terrorism Centre.
Before T'Challa appears in Avengers: Infinity War, he'll headline his own movie. Black Panther will follow the new king getting the hang of his royal duties at the same time as Wakanda finds itself under assault. With the help of the Dora Milaje and CIA agent Everett K. Ross (who also appeared in Captain America: Civil War), T'Challa will ensure that enemies like Erik Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue can't bring down his kingdom. Once that fiasco is resolved, we can count on T'Challa assisting the Avengers and the MCU's other prominent heroes in battling Thanos and his minions.
Avengers: Infinity War will be released in theaters on May 4, 2018.
