Black Panther: 10 Reasons Why It's The Most Important Marvel Film Yet

by Ewan Paterson

1. A Post-Credits Sequence That Means Something

T'Challa UN Black Panther
Marvel Studios

Black Panther might not pour on the references thick and fast, but it ends up being stronger because of it.

Marvel are the ones who've perfected the art of the mid-credits and post-credits sequences. Presented with the promise of a peak into what's to come, audiences stick it out through the credits so they can be the first to know what's actually going on. Needless to say, it's an effective strategy, with the studio having utilised both mid and post-credits scenes to tease the franchise's future since the original Iron Man.

With Black Panther, there is that element. The last sequence shows off Bucky's recovery in Wakanda and ties directly into the upcoming Infinity War, but the scene preceding that particular tease is packed with real depth and meaning. It's also really satisfying, with T'Challa greeting scepticism to his country's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties and overseas aide with a wry smile, hammering home the point that Wakanda - once a country shrouded in mystery - is open to the world, and is here to stay.

Those future teases and references are always welcome, and while it could be argued that they were needed now more than ever - what with Infinity War so close to releasing - a scene with real thematic weight beats an ending tease any day of the week, as Coogler's film demonstrates so eloquently in its climax.

What did you think of Black Panther? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Content Producer/Presenter

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.