Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Ryan Coogler Cites Terminator 2 as Inspiration
233With his MCU debut, filmmaker Ryan Coogler co-wrote and directed the first-ever onscreen depiction of Wakanda and its many people in 2018's Black Panther. Tasked with introducing fans to characters like King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and his antagonist in the film Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Coogler breathed new life into each of them by giving these comic characters new aspirations and ambitions. Namely, the writer-director crafted an unforgettable antagonist in the driven-to-a-fault Killmonger, managing to avoid writing a villain that felt flat. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the nation once again faces a formidable threat in Namor the Sub-Mariner (Tenoch Huerta), who seeks to challenge their rule. In his interview with Collider, Coogler breaks down why 'formidable' doesn't necessarily equate to a villain, citing Terminator 2: Judgement Day as inspiration for his formula.
While sitting down to discuss the new sequel, Collider's Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub commended Coogler for the believable villains featured in both Black Panther films. Though ruthless, Killmonger fought his whole life for a cause that was dear to him, while in Wakanda Forever Namor may pose a threat to Wakanda, but his battles are for Talocan, his undersea realm. When asked what his secret is to creating a great villain is, Coogler said, "Actually, for me, I don't see them as villains," adding that he views these rivals strictly as antagonists. In the worlds of Marvel and DC, so often we're presented with black-and-white concepts, while Coogler aims to challenge that notion, muddying the water between right and wrong depending on whose movie you're watching.
The director added that he doesn't seek to "govern people's words," but that he chooses to see his characters through all lenses. His approach to filmmaking is inspired by films he admires. Coogler credits 1991's Terminator 2 as a "big inspiration" for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, saying, "I think about them as, you know, this is a character that's going to come in conflict with my protagonist. And it'd be interesting if they want the same things, but because of who they are and what shaped them, they want to get those things in different ways and their means come in conflict with each other. And it comes to a head. That's kind of like how movies I like are structured." He went on to explain:
"Terminator 2 is a big inspiration for this movie. Big time. And you think about what T-1000 wants, and what Arnold Schwarzenegger's robot wants. They both want John Connor, but T-1000 wants to kill him, Arnold Schwarzenegger's character wants to protect him. That's the movie. And I look at it like that and also try to spend time with them. Not too much, you know what I'm saying? But enough that you understand where they're coming from and that you believe them when they make threats."
Likening Namor to, in this case, Terminator 2's T-1000 (Robert Patrick), Coogler posits that the audience is more likely to side with the MCU's so-dubbed "heroes" and find the Sub-Mariner's instigating callous. In the film, Wakanda is still healing from the loss of King T'Challa, still very much in their grief period, when the Talocans wage a battle following the nation's decision to open their borders to the world. Still, from Namor's vantage point, this is just and necessary, and the director adds that this Mutant has the ability to back up his word with force, saying:
"That's what makes Namor, I think, so cool in the books. In most publishing runs of him, he's very arrogant. But you also know he has the capability to do what he's saying he's going to do. He walks in in his underwear and says, "Hey, I'm going to kill everybody." But you believe it because you know he is capable of it. So we wanted to bring that same kind of swagger to the cinematic version of him, but also give it the detail that you would recognize in a Black Panther movie."
In Wakanda Forever, fans will see the return of Letitia Wright as Shuri, Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as the Dora Milaje's General Okoye, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Winston Duke as M'Baku and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross. In addition to Huerta's Namor, the sequel also introduces Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams (aka Ironheart), Michaela Coel as Aneka, Mabel Cadena as Namora, Alex Livinalli as Attuma, and Lake Bell in an undisclosed role.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters on November 11. Look for more from Steve's interview with Coogler soon.
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