The previously released Marvel films are filled with Easter Eggs hinting at a larger cinematic universe that includes more than just Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, but my favorite among them comes from the end of Iron Man 2. Featured in the scene where Tony Stark is meeting with Nick Fury about the Avengers Initiative, if you look at the monitors surrounding the two characters you can spot a world map with a bunch of points on it. One of the those points was located in Africa, and many took it to be a hint at Wakanda, the secret homeland of the Black Panther. Since then there has been a lot of speculation as to what the Easter Egg meant - whether it was just something stuck in to the scene as fun for fans or a hint at a future solo movie. Now it's looking like the answer may be the latter.
Latino-Review has corresponded with four different sources that have told them that the next big Marvel superhero to get his own movie will be the Black Panther. The character was first introduced in 1966 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and is considered the first mainstream black superhero. The alter-ego of T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, Black Panther has superhero senses, genius-level intelligence, finely tuned fighting skills, and a suit and claws made out of vibranium, the same material used to make Captain America's shield (the element is only found in the Panther's home country). He first joined The Avengers in 1968.
Obviously we have to take this news with a grain of salt, as nothing is official until Marvel says it is, but I personally am really hoping that this is true. While it is an added bonus that this will add some more diversity to the team, Black Panther is a really cool character and deserves the solo movie treatment. But now we have the big question: who should play him? I would personally love to see Djimon Hounsou take on the part (he voiced the character in the BET animated series), but I'd love to hear your casting suggestions in the comments section.
