Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Teases the Hero's Grey Area

The next new solo Avenger to get a film will be put in a unique position in many ways. That's because Black Panther won't have an origin story to serve as his first film's main plot, breaking from every other Marvel Studios film so far. Instead, in Black Panther, we have a hero that's already been a hero - heck, he even fought both with and against Avengers when he was introduced in Captain America: Civil War. Now, he'll be dealing with the challenge of being a hero, but also becoming a king.

"Panther exists in a grey area," director Ryan Coogler said in the Phase 3 preview feature on the Doctor Strange home release. "In addition to being a soldier, he has a more important job as a politician. He's constantly making these choices in the fog of politics and the fog of war."

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is excited to be dealing with a political and royal situation on Earth, as opposed to the situations in Thor's corner of the MCU in Asgard.

"We deal with royalty, we deal with royal families, but unlike our other films, it's right here on Earth. We get to explore different cultures and different aspects of our world," Feige said.

The studio president is confident that Coogler and his cast will get it right, praising the stacked group that includes star Chadwick Boseman significantly.

"Black Panther is a hugely important Marvel character, hugely important in the history of comics," Feige said. "We put together a cast and crew among the best that we've ever assembled, led by director Ryan Coogler."

Black Panther is filming now for a February 16, 2018 release.

Black Panther follows T'Challa who, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T'Challa's mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira , Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis. Additional cast members include Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Sterling K. Brown, and John Kani.

Ryan Coogler directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole.

Doctor Strange is available now on Digital HD, and hits DVD and Blu-Ray February 28, 2017.

More Black Panther News:

Black Panther Concept Art Puts Wakanda On Display

Black Panther: Andy Serkis Spotted On Set

Black Panther: Scene Details Revealed About South Korean Shooting Location