History Awesome / BlackPanther2018

-->'''M'Baku:''' "It's challenge day."
* T'Challa manages to defeat M'Baku in ritual combat, a man who is bigger and stronger than him, without his super powers after getting a HeroicSecondWind.

** In a sort of IronicEcho, Killmonger defeating T'Challa in the same ceremony.

** T'Challa got one himself in his duel with Killmonger. T'Challa knocks him down first. Had T'Challa not chosen to offer mercy instead of death, he would have won.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Music/TheRevolutionWillNotBeTelevised.\\

** M'Baku and his tribe ambushing the insurgents during the final battle to provide the aid he claimed he would never give to T'Challa.
--->'''M'Baku:''' Witness the might of the Jabari...first-hand! ''[picks up W'Kabi's right hand man and with one hand and tosses him through a pack of followers]''.

-->'''M'baku:''' "It's challenge day."

*** Okoye's lack of hesitation too. Because aside from W'Kabi choosing to commit technical treason by continuing to aid Killmonger after T'Challa returns, her own husband also directed his Border tribe men to close in on herself, Nakia, and Shuri for the kill until the Jabari happened to arrive, then tries to use their love to stop her from fighting him. She adamantly lets him know she won't allow any more of this to continue.

--> '''T'Challa:''' I never yielded! And as you can see, I am '''''not''''' dead!

-->'''Ross''': How long have I got?\\

-->'''T'Challa:''' [[HeWhoFightsMonsters You want to see us become just like the people you hate so much! Divide and conquer the land as they did!]]\\

-->'''Killmonger:''' [[VillainRespect Hell of a move.]]

* In a meta example, the film has been held up as an example of [[https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJyEaJAt/ allyship done right.]]

** The fact that Nakia willingly put herself in danger in the first place, going undercover to root out human trafficking, also deserves mention. She even manages to stop T'Challa about to fight the last militant soldier who turns out was a child soldier also trafficked into the ring.

*** Okoye's lack of hesitation too. Because aside from W'Kabi choosing to commit technical treason by contining to aid Killmonger after T'Challa returns, her own husband also directed his Border tribe men to close in on herself, Nakia, and Shuri for the kill until the Jabari happened to arrive, then tries to use their love to stop her from fighting him. She adamantly lets him know she won't allow any of that.

** The fact that Nakia willingly put herself in danger in the first place, going undercover to root out human trafficking, also deserves mention.

** Hell, the way M'Baku and the Jabari are '''introduced''', with a bulky tribesman leading a [[TheSlowWalk slow march]] out of a tunnel with a intimidating chant which translated means "Destroy them! Yes!".

* The second time that T'Challa visits the spirit plane, his father's spirit offers that it's time for him to join the Black Panthers before him in the afterlife. But T'Challa refuses to move on, because he won't rest until he's atoned for how Wakanda's isolation has ultimately created its own worst enemy (Killmonger). It also counts as his WhatTheHellHero speech to his ancestors, and [[CallingTheOldManOut additionally berating T'Chaka]] for indirectly motivating Killmonger to become king of Wakanda and attempt to destroy the world, by killing his father and abandoning him.
-->'''T'Challa:''' You were wrong! ''ALL OF YOU WERE WRONG!'' To turn your backs on the rest of the world! We let the fear of discovery stop us from doing what is right! No more! I cannot stay here with you. I cannot rest while he sits on the throne. He is a monster of our own making. I must take back the mantle! I ''must'' right this wrong.
** This bears repeating: it takes massive, ''massive'' guts to take a stand against your ruler, especially when he's also your father. T'Challa ''outright defies'' every single ruler Wakanda has ever had, a fair portion of which had to be his own ancestors. And not once does he even blink.

* M'Baku and his men shouting down Agent Ross and threatening to feed him to his children, causing the CIA agent to noticeably gulp in fear. M'baku immediately starts laughing at his own joke that they are vegetarians.

* Ross choosing to stay in the lab so he can use Shuri's remote-control tech to take down Killmonger's carriers even as one of his ships is on the cusp of blasting through the facility's shielded glass. What's more, it's not a moment of blase badassery: he pauses and takes a moment to understand that yes, if he stays, he will more than likely die. And then he carries on anyway.
-->'''Ross''': How long have I got?\\
'''Lab AI''': Glass integrity at 50%.\\
'''Ross''': Put me back in.
* Okoye protecting M'Baku from the armored rhino by standing in its path, whereupon the rhino completely stops running and even licks Okoye's face. Earlier in the film Okoye is shown feeding and petting presumably the same rhino, which would explain why it stopped.
** To add to this, W'Kabi asks her, "Would you kill me, my love?" Okoye unflinchingly answers, "For Wakanda? Without question." W'Kabi, instead of remaining belligerent, stops fighting and surrenders to her. An incredible moment, not only because the fight was won with words rather than blows, but because W'Kabi accepted her - a strong black woman's - guidance.
* T'Challa tackling Killmonger down into the vibranium mines so they can fight without endangering anyone else. A brief, but beautifully shot and tense FreeFallFight ensues.
** And why did T'Challa leap from the battle and tackle him down into the mines in the first place? [[BigBrotherInstinct Because he saw Killmonger was about to murder Shuri.]]
* T'Challa's entrance to combat after Killmonger tossed him off a cliff earlier.

** Its actually even better. Killmonger is moving on with his plans of worldwide invasion, and the first of the aircrafts carrying the weapon supplies for it takes off as Erik watches on jubilantly, and then it suddenly explodes in mid-air and crashes down. As he and his cohorts look on stupified, T'challa emerges from the wreckage, his theme music blaring full force before delivering the above line.
* T'Challa is pinned down against a rock and is being pummeled to death by W'Kabi and his soldiers. He looks ready to succumb - and then he sees Killmonger advancing menacingly on a disarmed Shuri. Now, while it is awesome that this gets him back on his feet, it's nothing out of the ordinary for a superhero movie, or indeed an action movie. ''This'' is what makes it awesome: when T'Challa rises to his feet, he has his suit convert the kinetic energy from all the blows he's received to send the army flying through the air in slow motion, as he raises his fists above his head and bellows '''"SHURI!!!"'''. This is an image straight out of a Creator/JackKirby-style comic panel - the hero gets his HeroicSecondWind and hurls his assailants in all directions, and for bonus points, there is an actual in-universe explanation as to how he did it, rather than simply "he somehow threw them all simultaneously because [[RuleOfCool it looked cool]]".
* While the two are separated from each other by one of the vibranium trains, T'Challa rightly calls out Killmonger on what a hypocritical bastard he is:
-->'''T'Challa:''' [[HeWhoFightsMonsters You want to see us become just like the people you hate so much! Divide and conquer the land as they did!]]\\
'''Killmonger:''' Nah, I learned from my enemies! I beat 'em at their own game!\\
'''T'Challa:''' [[ShutUpHannibal You have]] ''[[ShutUpHannibal become]]'' [[ShutUpHannibal them!]] You will destroy the world, Wakanda included!
* How T'Challa ultimately beats Killmonger: as the magnetic train lines' sonic suppressors are switching off the Vibranium in their suits, he kicks Killmonger's spear into the air. It falls down as the train passes and the suppressors deactivate, allowing him to stab it into Killmonger's abdomen just before the Vibranium reasserts itself. [[GracefulLoser Killmonger himself is impressed.]]
-->'''Killmonger:''' [[VillainRespect Hell of a move.]]
* Just about everything in the final battle. Highlights include:

** M'Baku and his tribe ambushing the insurgents during the final battle to provide the aid he claimed he would never give to T'Challa.
--->'''M'Baku:''' Witness the might of the Jabari...first-hand! ''[picks up W'Kabi's right hand man and with one hand and tosses him through a pack of followers]''.
** Keep in mind, the Jabari have spent centuries in the mountains, priding themselves on not being as technologically advanced as the rest of Wakanda... [[RockBeatsLaser and they proceed to]] ''[[RockBeatsLaser wipe the floor]]'' [[RockBeatsLaser with W'Kabi's men]].
** Okoye and two of her Dora Milaje sisters actually do manage to pin down Killmonger and might have saved the day right there if it wasn't for the AttackReflector properties of his new suit. Shuri also manages to nearly defeat him, and likely would have if she had lasted a few more seconds.
** A minor one with one of the Dora Milaje fighter. Knowing that she is about to have her throat slashed by Killmonger, she refuses to cower or beg for mercy right before her death. These ladies who how much danger they endure and are [[DefiantToTheEnd defiant even when faced with death]].
--->"Wakanda Forever!"

* Instead of holograms, Wakandans use shapes made of hovering vibranium nanites, which look absolutely stunning.

* In the second stinger, we see ComicBook/BuckyBarnes awake and well. Last time the audience saw him was in the stinger of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' requesting to be cryogenically frozen again until a cure could be found to free him from Hydra’s brainwashing tactics. This film is set a couple of weeks after ''Civil War'' takes place, which means Shuri and the Wakandan doctors and scientists were [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome able to find a cure and deprogram him]] within a couple of '''weeks'''. (And even if one argued this Stinger taking place in real time, in which it being 2 years after ''Civil War'' came out in 2016, it still means a successful cure was found within 2 years at most.)

* Chadwick Boseman's performance in this film became all the more awe-inspiring when it was revealed he was battling Stage III colon cancer at the time, and kept it completely hidden until his death two years later. May he find peace with the ancestors.

* In the second stinger, we see Bucky awake and well. Last time the audience saw him was in the stinger of [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Captain America Civil War]] requesting to be cryogenically frozen again until a cure could be found to free him from Hydra’s brainwashing tactics. This film is set a couple of weeks after ''Civil War'' takes place, which means Shuri and the Wakandan doctors and scientists were [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome able to find a cure and deprogram him]] within a couple of '''weeks'''. (And even if one argued this Stinger taking place in real time, in which it being 2 years after Civil War came out in 2016, it still means a successful cure was found within 2 years at most.)

* During the first stinger, one of the UN delegates [[TemptingFate patronizingly asks what a nation of Wakandan "farmers" can offer the world]]. T'Challa looks out to the audience to see Ross giving him a smug smirk. T'Challa smirks right back and [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome presumably tells the delegate just what they can offer]] after the SmashToBlack.

-->'''Okoye:''' ''[disgusted]'' [[BigNo No!]] Your heart is so full of hatred, [[InadequateInheritor you're not fit to be a king]]!

->'''T'Challa:''' [[HeWhoFightsMonsters You want to see us become just like the people you hate so much! Divide and conquer the land as they did!]]\\

** T'Challa manages to notice the Wakandan royal signet ring on Eric's necklace during that commotion and instantly deduces his true identity, and then after returning to Wakanda he presses Zuri into revealing the truth

[[/folder]]

** There's also the techno-orchestra mash-up between Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and Vince Staples' "Bagbak", intercut with Staples' in-character BadassBoast: '''''[[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Show me my respect, and bow down.]]'''''

----> ''[[SkepticNoLonger "I've seen gods fly...I've seen men build weapons that I couldn't even imagine. I've seen aliens drop from the sky, but I have never seen anything like this]].''

---> ''[[SkepticNoLonger "I've seen gods fly...I've seen men build weapons that I couldn't even imagine. I've seen aliens drop from the sky, but I have never seen anything like this]].''

** The Wakanda spiritual realm known as the Djalia. It looks surreal and beautiful, like something from ''Disney/TheLionKing''.

** Its actually even better. Killmonger is moving on with his plans of worldwide invasion, and the first of the aircrafts carrying the weapon supplies for it takes off as Erik watches on jubilantly, and then it suddenly explodes in mid-air and crashes down. As he and hos cohorts look on stupified, T'challa emerges from the wreckage, his theme music blaring full force before delivering the above line.

** Its actually even better. Killmonger is moving on with his plans of worldwide invasion, and the first of the aircrafts carrying the weapon supplies for it takes off as Erik watches on jubilantly, and then it suddenly explodes in mid-air and crashes down. As he and hos cohorts look on stupified, T'challa emerges from thethe wreckage, his theme music blaring full force before delivering the above line.

*** On a similar note, T'Challa's suit forming around him mid-run and jump in a way that would make [[Film/IronMan Tony Stark]] jealous.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Meta]]
* Much like ''Wonder Woman'' for female superheroic leads, ''Black Panther'' has pretty much obliterated the idea that [[MinorityShowGhetto superhero movies starring black people don't "sell"]][[note]]Respect to ''Film/{{Blade}}'', but that film had a black ''star'', while ''Panther's'' main cast is almost entirely black[[/note]]. It ended up making over $200 million in its first three days, the 5th-highest domestic opening of all time (and second-highest in the MCU, after ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''), and blew past the entire domestic box office takings of ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' in just four days.
** And then it proved to have staying power. ''A lot'' of staying power. By March 10, less than a month after release, it had passed a billion dollars in worldwide box office grosses, leaping eight places on the unadjusted top 50 highest grossing list ''overnight''--followed by another twelve places ''within 30 hours of passing the billion mark''.
*** The film had so much staying power that it was still in theaters even as ''Infinity War'' reached theaters--and even the film's home media release hasn't stopped it yet.
** As of late April 2018, the film has officially made over '''$1.325 billion''' at the box office, making it the third highest grossing MCU film worldwide behind only ''The Avengers'' and ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'', but also the ninth highest-grossing film ''ever'' (beating ''Film/TheLastJedi''). Its US box office take is the highest of any superhero movie ''ever'', unadjusted for inflation.
** Before being upstaged by ''Film/PacificRimUprising'', this film became the first film since ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' to have been #1 at the box office for '''[[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-18/-black-panther-leads-at-box-office-for-fifth-straight-weekend five weekends in a row.]]'''
** After two months, it passed ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'' for the third highest domestic box office ever. At the same time, its domestic total passed the ''worldwide'' total of ''Film/JusticeLeague2017''.
** After six months in theaters, the film has gone on to make $700 million domestically.
** As for the take corrected for inflation, according to [[http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice3.html this page]], its US domestic gross is at #30 on the list. This may not sound like much, but one, the ''only'' superhero movie to be higher is ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', and two, the list goes back to 1937. In other words, in ''81 years'', less than thirty movies have done, proportionately, better than ''Black Panther'' (for comparison, that's fewer movies than were released in the first two months of 2016).
* Ever since the film's release, it's been getting rave reviews left and right. The movie stands at '''''97%''''' on Rotten Tomatoes, replacing ''Film/IronMan1'' as the highest rated movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
** If that's not enough, it became not only the best-reviewed Marvel movie of all time, but the best-reviewed SUPERHERO movie of all time. The king of Wakanda, ladies and gentlemen!
** If THAT's not enough, it soon became the '''[[Main/HolyShitQuotient best-reviewed movie IN GENERAL]], beating out legendary classics''' '''''Film/TheWizardOfOz''''' '''and''' '''''Film/CitizenKane'''''. Wakanda Forever, indeed!
* Erik Killmonger has been widely praised as continuing Marvel's efforts to make more interesting villains, with motivations fully rooted in real black culture and history. Impressively, Killmonger has relatively little screen time, and little is explained about his motivation beyond YouKilledMyFather, but the implications, real-life stories about what a boy like him would have gone through, and Michael B. Jordan's acting chops make the most out of every second of screen time he does get, making him very compelling and relatable, even without much in the way of CharacterDevelopment.
** Killmonger has since been widely regarded as the best MCU villain, ''period''. His competition were the likes of [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Loki]], [[Series/Daredevil2015 Wilson 'The Kingpin' Fisk]], [[Series/JessicaJones2015 Kilgrave]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 Ego]], and [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Thanos of freakin' Titan]]. He had no superpowers, no vast criminal organization, no alien army or cosmic doodad at his command, and his motivations, rooted in a very real-world injustice, has made him by far a greater villain than all the rest.
* Behold, the first MCU movie to get a [[https://twitter.com/TIME/status/961587171424653312 cover on Time]]!
* The film's release prompted ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' to make a fight with T'Challa, in which he defeats another predator-themed hero most people know as [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]].
* The filmmakers having the confidence to not lean at all on the wider MCU, with Bucky's appearance in TheStinger and Everett Ross as the only references to any wider setting. Instead, the first superhero film with a majority black cast gets to stand on its own and earn all its praise by itself. Speaking of the wider setting, [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar the Wakandans all came back to kick some alien ass]] less than three months after this film.
* The immense success of the movie underlined what an incredible start to 2018 that cinematographer Rachel Morrison was having, as all of the positive business came just weeks after she became the first woman ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for ''Film/{{Mudbound}}''. Talk about a one-two punch.
* Something to bear in mind about all the film's success is that it's only the ''third'' film directed by Ryan Coogler. Not since Creator/StevenSpielberg have we seen such a ridiculously fast rise to the ranks of A-list filmmakers.
* A very common comment among critics and fans is how successful the film's world-building is, to the point that Wakanda could theoretically support a cinematic universe all on its own following the likes of Okoye, M'Baku, Nakia, and more as the heroes of their own stories. One review even notes that the movie is about so much more than Black Panther himself that giving the film that title is akin to calling ''Star Wars'' "Luke Skywalker."
* After five weeks as #1 at the box office, the film was officially announced as the most Tweeted-about movie ever, topping the record of ''Film/TheForceAwakens''.
* Chadwick Boseman giving his MTV Movie Award for "Best Hero" to real life hero James Shaw Jr., the man who tackled a gunman at a Waffle House two months earlier.
* The response to the film was so huge that it became the first film in the franchise to get a serious push from the studio for a Best Picture Oscar nomination. In fact, the Academy's widely reviled suggestion of a new "best popular film" category is widely suspected to be hedging their bets against worldwide outrage if it's not nominated for BP.
** ''Black Panther'' eventually became a candidate for Best Picture, becoming the first superhero movie to ever achieve a nomination in that category. Truly a landmark for Marvel and superhero films in general.
** With its wins in the fields of Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score, ''Black Panther'' has officially become the first MCU film to win an Academy Award period, let alone ''multiple'' awards and the first comic-based film since ''Film/DickTracy'' to win three Oscars. What makes it even better is the respective winners of the first two awards, Ruth Carter and (co-winner) Hannah Beachler are the first African-American women to win in these categories.
* The Creator/AmericanFilmInstitute now acknowledges this movie as one of the 10 best films of 2018, solidifying it as a legendary movie in its own right.
* On December 6, 2018, it became the first MCU film to be nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama).
* On December 12, 2018, it became the first superhero movie nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by the Cast of a Motion Picture. It also became the highest grossing nominee in this category ever.
** It won the award on January 27, 2019.
[[/folder]]
----

* Much like ''Wonder Woman'' for female superheroic leads, ''Black Panther'' has pretty much obliterated the idea that [[MinorityShowGhetto superhero movies starring black people don't "sell"]][[note]]Respect to ''Film/{{Blade}}'', but that film had a black ''star'', while ''Panther's'' main cast is almost entirely black[[/note]]. It ended up making over $200 million in its first three days, the 5th-highest domestic opening of all time (and second-highest in the MCU, after ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''), and blew past the entire domestic box office takings of ''Film/JusticeLeague'' in just four days.

** After two months, it passed ''Film/{{Titanic|1997}}'' for the third highest domestic box office ever. At the same time, its domestic total passed the ''worldwide'' total of ''Film/JusticeLeague''.