One of the biggest reveals left to connect to Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is how Marvel will tie the hero in to the already-established MCU. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron had major nods to the character, with discussions about his homeland of Wakanda, and the introduction of a regular foil in Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis). But how would he fit in to Captain America: Civil War, his debut MCU film? We’re starting to get answers.
Umberto Gonzalez of Heroic Hollywood (finally, he has an outlet we can source) reports that Black Panther (Boseman) will be "on the hunt" for The Winter Soldier, the confused "villain" introduced in the second Captain America film, who also happens to be Steve Rogers’ best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Barnes ended The Winter Soldier on the run. He had rescued Captain America from a potentially fatal drowning. And he was revisiting his exhibit at the Smithsonian, reflecting on the past and wondering just how badly he had been manipulated. Rogers and his new partner, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), agreed to seek out Barnes as the sequel ended – though the party scene in Age of Ultron confirmed that they’d been following "cold leads," and no progress had been made.
Now it appears the race to find Bucky Barnes will have a lethal angle, as I doubt Black Panther wants to find The Winter Soldier to thank him for anything. The mercenary’s history leaves a trail of blood – as laid out by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in The Winter Soldier movie – so when Gonzalez asks his readers why they think Black Panther – aka T’Challa – might want to find Bucky Barnes, many jump to the conclusion that the assassin murdered the African warrior’s father, King T’Chaka. Could that be a possibility?
Here’s why I doubt that is the case. In the comics, King T’Chaka – Black Panther’s father – is murdered by Klaw… the character Marvel just spent 15 minutes in Ultron introducing. Why bring that character in if you are going to steal his most dominant arc? Also, eliminating T’Chaka as a throwaway bit of motivation on Civil War removes the impact that the character can have in the eventual Black Panther movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2018. I’d be very surprised if Marvel played that card this soon, especially as there have been casting rumors for T’Chaka already. I really don’t think he’ll be dead, killed at the hands of The Winter Soldier.
But according to this report, it seems like Cap and Falcon will need to find Bucky first, because the Panther is on the prowl. Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6, 2016.
