It must be surreal to see his Marvel creations hit the big screen, but there’s one MCU hero in particular that Stan Lee chose to honor.

That would be Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. Lee co-created the character of Black Panther (T’Challa) with Jack Kirby back in 1966. Now that the hero is about to take the spotlight in his own solo film, Lee wanted to share some words of encouragement and praise for the talented actor behind the mask.

Lee said “In 1966 we brought Black Panther to the pages of Marvel… Now this talented young man brings him to the silver screen! You have my respect!”

Lee has been a fixture of the MCU thanks to his memorable cameos, and that will likely be the case in Black Panther as well. While that tradition is being kept, director Ryan Coogler explained what sets the film apart from the rest of the MCU roster.

“I would say cultural aspects is a big thing,” Coogler says. “Obviously, T’Challa is an African king and there haven’t really been many movies made about that at all in any genre. When you look at the movies in the Marvel universe automatically, off the bat, that’s going to make that very different.

Black Panther currently has a 4.02 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings. You can view the official description below.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018.

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