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“It’s a Marvel movie; I mean, you can’t go wrong.” said a random guy in the movie theater after viewing “Black Widow.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has excelled at bringing its historic comic book stories to life. Over the past two decades, the MCU has produced over 24 movies and TV series chronologically telling “The Avengers” story.
The Walt Disney subsidiary has additionally embraced and embedded traditional cultures into its films. This was done especially with its second highest-grossing movie, “Black Panther.” The keen attention to detail in the movie highlighted African culture and African-American, Asian, and modern-day cultures. Selecting Director Ryan Coogler to capture these different cultural aspects was probably one of the best decisions for this movie.
MCU filmed the movie in a plethora of locations, including the United States, Africa, South Korea, South America. However, most may believe that Marvel filmed the movie in Africa, seeing that the futuristic African Kingdom, Wakanda, is located.
However, most of the film was actually shot in Atlanta, Georgia. The beautiful aerial shots that oversaw the Rwenzori Mountains, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Lake Bunyonyi were filmed in Africa.
In addition to the location, the Cinematic Universe has also tapped into the clothing aspects of African culture. Ruth E. Carter — Oscar-winning costume designer — was selected to design the costumes for this movie. She mentioned that the movie “connects everything that I’ve done about slavery and about how Africans came to this country, and what happened to their culture.” Carter had designers pull clothing and fabrics from many African tribes, including the Maasai, to inspire her.
The time and creativity invested into this movie are more than likely a leading reason that “Black Panther” grossed so well at the box office. However, this is the same level of detail that the cinematic universe invests in all of its movies. So, grab some popcorn while waiting to watch what Marvel does with Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Written by Charles Myers
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Filming Locations by AtlasWonders: Filming Locations Guide: Where was Black Panther filmed? The location of Wakanda; by Ra Moon
The New York Times: The Afrofuturistic Designs of ‘Black Panther;” by Melena Ryzik
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Slideless in Seattle’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jørn Eriksson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License