With Black Panther set to hit Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms in the next few weeks, Marvel Studios is starting to provide fans a look at some of the movie’s special features.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Right when Ryan Coogler‘s hit movie premiered, the director and other people associated with the production spoke fondly about one particular scene that didn’t make it off of the cutting room floor. In fact, Coogler fought for this scene’s inclusion and lost.
But now that scene has been put online, so everyone can watch what the filmmakers believe to be the best clip that wasn’t actually in the movie. Check it out in the video player above.
The scene shows Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, and her lover W’Kabi, leader of the border tribe of Wakanda. The two have since come to disagree over who they support as the leadership of Wakanda, with Erik Killmonger coming in and pulling a coup d’état thanks to W’Kabi’s aid.
With T’Challa deposed and Killmonger planning to use Wakanda’s technology and armies to ignite war across the globe, Okoye and W’Kabi argue over what course the future will take and whether they should bring children into the world they’re creating.
It’s a powerful scene and it’s easy to see why the filmmakers wanted it included. Producer Nate Moore spoke with Empire about why Coogler wanted it in the final cut and why it was ultimately taken out.
“Unfortunately, it occurred at a point in the movie where audiences just wanted to get to the resolution and so it slowed down a part of the movie and we were afraid audiences were checking out,” Moore said. “We were also afraid if we took it out we’re going to ruin this movie—’guys we’re going to ruin this movie; let’s not take it out.’ We didn’t take it out for three or four screenings and we finally took it out and I think Ryan and I were probably the last men on that beach saying don’t take it out.”
The film’s editor Michael Shawver personally admitted how powerful the scene was while speaking with TheWrap.
“Those are two [Danai Gurira and Daniel Kaluuya] powerhouse actors and it was an incredible scene with so many layers to it — boyfriend and girlfriend, it was general and her advisor, all those things. That was painful,” Shawver said.
You can get hyped for the home video release of Black Panther in the clip above.
Black Panther will be available on Digital HD May 8th, followed by the Blu-ray and DVD release on May 15th.
Did you like this deleted scene? Be sure to sound off in the comments!
[h/t USA Today]
