Black Panther is finally getting the mainstream recognition he's deserved since he first burst onto the scene in 1966's Fantastic Four #66, and that's also actually become one of the most gratifying things to see play out in recent years. There are plenty of reasons why he's so revered - one of the foremost being his representational qualities in a franchise dominated by white stars - but undoubtedly one of the biggest is what drives him.
King T'Challa is a hero unlike any other, and that stems largely from the context surrounding Wakanda. The nation has come to symbolise all of the continent's potential lost by centuries of imperial conquest, and the country - along with its ruler - stands out as one of Marvel's most salient symbols.
The Black Panther is the King of Wakanda, and not just any ordinary hero. His first responsibilities are to serve and protect Wakanda and its citizens, and this brings with it plenty of its own challenges. Plenty of writers have told Black Panther stories within the prism of geopolitics, diplomacy and African history, and it's proven to be a winning formula.
Most heroes have a lot of responsibility, but T'Challa holds the weight of his nation's expectations on his shoulders. Few - if any - characters can boast that same kind of drive, and it's what makes him so special.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
