Originally published December 22, 2017. Updated April 17, 2018.
We’re less than two months away from the release of the first superhero movie of 2018, Marvel’s Black Panther, and to celebrate Empire has unveiled the special subscriber cover to its latest issue featuring Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. Check it out here…
SEE ALSO: Marvel’s Black Panther gets a batch of promotional artwork
UPDATE: And here’s the regular cover along with two images
Meanwhile, speaking to Teen Vogue, Boseman’s co-stars Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong’o have discussed their roles in the Ryan Coogler-directed movie as Shuri and Nakia respectively.
“Playing [Shuri] was so refreshing,” said Wright. “She’s strong, and she can kick butt. She’s intelligent, she loves Wakanda, and she loves creating technology to protect her people. But you see when she’s scared, when she’s frightened, when she’s afraid for her family. Even with some of the male characters [in the movie], you see moments when they are weak. Shuri was the sort of character I went home and studied to find out the reason she does things. [Ryan] walked me through his idea for the story, and after he was done, I was like, ‘Wait a second, is this a Marvel movie?’ It had social and political relevance. My character, Nakia, was a departure from the character you see in the comic books. She’s this independent woman, super patriotic but also very questioning of her society, and I liked that. With her complicated relationship with T’Challa, I knew it was going to be kind of sexy, and I was like, ‘OK, I definitely want in.'”
SEE ALSO: International trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther offers up lots of new footage
“Ryan made a point of avoiding the expected female-rival narrative,” added Nyong’o. “In this genre, where spandex is involved, oftentimes the women are pitted against each other. In our story, there are so many different women holding their own space. Women may be in competition with each other, sure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an absence of love or respect. Shuri is the sister to the Black Panther and the leader of technological pursuits, and Nakia is someone who has a complicated history with the Black Panther and is a warrior in her own right. You see them work together, and you see a dynamic that is really encouraging.”
SEE ALSO: LEGO unveils its Marvel’s Black Panther tie-in sets
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
Black Panther sees Ryan Coogler (Creed) directing Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa alongside Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Letitia Wright as Shuri and Nabiyah Be as Nightshade. The film is set for release on February 12th in the UK and on February 16th in the States.
