WhenRyan Cooglerco-wrote and directed 2018’sBlack Panther, he wasn’t just tasked to breathe life into King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and the world of Wakanda. He also had to create an antagonist worthy of both. WithErik Killmonger(Michael B. Jordan), Coogler crafted an unforgettable, driven-to-a-fault character by giving him the kind of deepaspirations and ambitionsmost 2-D villains never enjoy.
InBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler says he’s done it again with Wakanda’s latest fordmiable threat, Namor the Sub-Mariner (Tenoch Huerta), thanks to some inspiration fromTerminator 2: Judgement Day.
While sitting down to discuss the new sequel, Collider’s Editor-in-ChiefSteve Weintraubcommended Coogler for the believable villains featured in bothBlack Pantherfilms. Though ruthless, Killmonger fought his whole life for a cause that was dear to him. Similarly, inWakanda ForeverNamor may pose a threatto Wakanda, but his battles are for Talocan, his undersea realm. When asked what his secret is to creating a great villain is, Coogler said, “Actually, for me, I don’t see them as villains,” adding that he views these rivals strictly as antagonists. In the worlds of Marvel and DC, so often we’re presented with black-and-white concepts. Coogler aims to challenge that notion, muddying the water between right and wrong depending on whose movie you’re watching. The director added that he doesn’t seek to “govern people’s words,” but that he chooses to see his characters through all lenses. His approach to filmmaking is inspired by films he admires.
Coogler credits 1991’sTerminator 2as a “big inspiration” forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, saying, “I think about them as, you know, this is a character that’s going to come in conflict with my protagonist. And it’d be interesting if they want the same things, but because of who they are and what shaped them, they want to get those things in different ways and their means come in conflict with each other. And it comes to a head. That’s kind of like how movies I like are structured.” He went on to explain:
“Terminator 2is a big inspiration for this movie. Big time. And you think about what T-1000 wants, and what Arnold Schwarzenegger’s robot wants. They both want John Connor, but T-1000 wants to kill him, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character wants to protect him. That’s the movie. And I look at it like that and also attempt to spend time with them. Not too much, you know what I’m saying? But enough that you understand where they’re coming from and that you believe them when they make threats.”
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Likening Namor to, in this case,Terminator 2’s T-1000 (Robert Patrick), Coogler posits that the audience is more likely to side with the MCU’s so-dubbed “heroes” and find the Sub-Mariner’s instigating callous. In the film, Wakanda is still healing from the loss of King T’Challa, still very much in their grief period, when the Talocans wage a battle following the nation’s decision to open their borders to the world. Still, fromNamor’s vantage point, this is just and necessary, and the director adds that this Mutant has the ability to back up his word with force, saying:
“That’s what makes Namor, I think, so cool in the books. In most publishing runs of him, he’s very arrogant. But you also know he has the capability to do what he’s saying he’s going to do. He walks in in his underwear and says, “Hey, I’m going to kill everybody.” But you believe it because you know he is capable of it. So we wanted to bring that same kind of swagger to the cinematic version of him, but also give it the detail that you would recognize in aBlack Panthermovie.”
InWakanda Forever, fans will see the return ofLetitia Wrightas Shuri,Angela Bassettas Queen Ramonda,Lupita Nyong’oas Nakia,Danai Guriraas the Dora Milaje’s General Okoye,Florence Kasumbaas Ayo,Winston Dukeas M’Baku andMartin Freemanas Everett K. Ross. In addition to Huerta’s Namor, the sequel also introducesDominique Thorneas Riri Williams (aka Ironheart),Michaela Coelas Aneka,Mabel Cadenaas Namora,Alex Livinallias Attuma, andLake Bellin an undisclosed role.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverpremieres in theaters on November 11. Look for more from Steve’s interview with Coogler soon.
