Favorite Characters: T’Challa (The Avengers)

I adored T’Challa when I first saw him in Civil War, but, knowing Black Panther was on its way, I made myself wait to do a Favorite Characters post on him.  Having now seen him in his own movie, that initial characterization still holds and has also been expanded.  Today is all about the king (T’Challa-related spoilers for both Civil War and Black Panther.)

The word I keep coming back to is “regal” – I don’t think anything else captures him quite so well.  Everything about the way T’Challa carries himself screams royalty.  The young king moves through the world with a very tangible awareness of his duty to his people, that knowledge that the weight of their well-being is on his shoulders.  He takes his responsibilities seriously, and his most unsure moments come when he wonders if he’s truly doing the best for his subjects.  Similarly, he’s serious about carrying the mantle of the Black Panther, being Wakanda’s protector and doing honor to the privilege of having that power.

But he’s also regal in the sense of being incredibly self-assured.  Yes, T’Challa’s responsibilities make him weigh his decisions carefully and worry whether he’s doing the right thing, but he’s also a young man who’s ready to face what that responsibility throws at him.  There’s no “refusing the call” moment for this hero – he knows who he is, and he’s prepared to do the work to figure out what Wakanda needs of him.  That brings with it confidence and strength, a swagger that comes from being the leader and protector of the most advanced nation on the planet.  When ignorant Americans treat him like a primitive, it rolls effortlessly off his back, becaue he knows with absolute certainty that their misinformed opinions of him have nothing to do with who he really is.

I like that his convictions are strong but his opinions aren’t implacable.  We see this in both Civil War and Black Panther.  In Civil War, he first suits up hellbent on avenging his father’s death, but when he discovers how the truth has been manipulated, he not only flips the script and helps the man he’d originally been after (giving Bucky safe refuge and access to Wakanda’s medical technology,) he also recognizes that vengeance against the real culprit won’t ultimately solve anything (capturing Zemo instead of killing him.)  And in Black Panther, he comes to understand Nakia’s point about Wakanda opening itself to the world and sharing its knowledge/resources with those who need it.  These moments don’t mean he flip-flops or that his mind isn’t set, it’s that his understanding evolves and his actions change accordingly, which is hugely important for a leader.

Overall, T’Challa is a lot more serious than your average Marvel hero, offering fewer quips than, say, Tony or Peter (Quill or Parker – take your pick,) but he’s far from humorless.  His sibling banter with Shuri is tons of fun, he and Okoye can snark back and forth with each other, and his slightly-flustered reaction to seeing Nakia after a long absence is as endearing as it is hilarious.  While he takes his duties seriously, he doesn’t take himself all that seriously, and he’s good-natured about poking fun at himself when the situation warrants it.

I’m thrilled that T’Challa has his own film and can’t wait to see more Black Panther.  But even aside from all that awesomeness, I’m also just glad to have him in the MCU, because he is a different sort of hero/personality to bring to the mix.  His presence definitely added something new to Civil War, and I look forward to seeing what he adds to Infinity War and beyond.