Black Panther was a landmark movie in the MCU. The 2018 movie not only set a major cultural impact on MCU but also on the world of modern pop culture. The movie brilliantly dwelled on the lives of people of color and also had a rich cultural influence. Another point where the movie also excels is the portrayal of women. The females of Wakanda were presented in such a manner that the audience was connected to them.
Now as the sequel of the movie Wakanda Forever is nearing its worldwide release, the stars speak up about the beautiful system of the fictional kingdom created by Marvel. The latest candidate to take part in this is Mabel Cadena who expressed her thoughts on this.
Black Panther knows how to portray women in movies
Mabel Cadena is the latest joining of the MCU. The 31-years-old Mexican actress is brought on board to play Namora. According to the comics, Namora is the cousin to Namor who’s soon to be the antagonist in the Black Panther sequel.
Recently while speaking to The New York Times, Mabel Cadena praised the movie Black Panther and all the associates linked to the project. The actress who’s going to join the sequel said that the legacy of the first movie helps her to understand better Wakanda’s POV of women:
“[It’s been said that] when a woman raises her voice, we all bloom. These words are really inspiring to me, and I think this is the legacy of the first movie. Before this, I had only worked in Mexico City, so working with these women and Ryan completely changed my life and the way I thought about my career. Now, I have new dreams and new expectations about the way I want to make women characters.”
The actress didn’t just stop there on MCU’s portrayal of women. She also further added how the other female co-stars and crew inspired her to work seamlessly:
“It was incredible. I didn’t speak the same language at the beginning, and the fight training was really hard for me, too. There were points when I felt really tired, but I was also inspired by these women every day. I’d say, ‘If these girls can, I can do more one day.'”
The teaser of the movie already showed us that the movie has Dora Milaje and the other women from both Wakanda and the water kingdom carrying out some epic action set pieces.
What do the other female co-stars say about Black Panther?
Mabel Cadena was not the only one to voice her thoughts. The other co-stars such as Lupita Nyong’o also have something to say. Although she addresses a very important point that despite being highly inspiring and utopian, Wakanda’s world is the exact opposite of what happens in real life and she hopes someday, this world will also be inspired by it.
The Nakia actress more precisely explains her words by pointing out that Wakanda is exactly the world we all want to have:
“What I love about the Wakanda story is that it offers us a version of a world that we are striving to get to.”
It is evident that Ryan Coogler knows the technique of handling and representing women in his works. It is also being rumored that Shuri’s going to helm the titular role. But still, it will be exciting to watch how the new audience will react to this. Recently the M-She-U trend has been hyped around the internet as some people don’t seem to be very happy with women taking up the lead in the superhero universe.
What is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever about?
Even before being the final venture in Phase 4 of the MCU, this movie is the tale of a whole nation coming together to support each other. The nation just faced the loss of its beloved and respected leader King T’Challa.
Soon after the death of the Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, Marvel Studios announced that they are not going to recast the character. This will play a pivotal aspect in the movie as the Kingdom’s now without a ruler and also have to prepare itself for an emerging war with the underwater people.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is going to hit the theaters on November 11, 2022.
Source: The New York Times
