Black Panther - An origin story

We first saw Black Panther in Captain America -- Civil War. Now in his first standalone movie, we get to see his origin story.

The movie paints Wakanda as a country that has isolated itself from the rest of the world in order to keep its Vibranium a secret. According to the movie, some Vibranium was stolen by Ulysses Klaue and that's how it got out into the world. It doesn't explain how Wakanda generates money since it does not trade with the rest of the world and doesn't sell Vibranium. It also doesn't explain how Wakandans became so technologically advanced given that they isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

In the comic books it's a slightly different story. King T'Chaka, the father of the current Black Panther (T'Challa) would sell small amounts of Vibranium to generate the funds to build up his country. He would also send Wakandan scholars all over the world to gain knowledge. That kind of makes more sense than an isolationist Wakanda that has nothing to do with the rest of the world and doesn't sell any Vibranium at all.

The interesting thing about this origin story is that it seldom ventures outside of Wakanda. Most of the scenes take place there except for the beginning and ending of the movie which takes place in Oakland, California.

We get a pretty good sense of the sights and sounds of Wakanda life. There's definitely African culture permeating the society and certain tribes still seem to live in huts. Yet there are futuristic electro-magnetic trains that run through the city and aircraft that look like it could come out of a Star Wars movie. Speaking of Star Wars, the royal council in the movie reminds me very much of the Jedi Council.

Director Ryan Coogler has managed to build a universe that doesn't seem connected to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which is primarily based in the US). It's almost all Wakanda in this movie. The main connection to the rest of the MCU is CIA agent Everett Ross who plays the role Phil Coulson used to play.

The plot is all about T'Challa taking on the reigns of the country and being challenged by a rival (who happens to be from the royal bloodline too). It's all internal stuff. The connection to the rest of the world (and by extension, the MCU, happens only at the very end of the movie). The impact of the ending though has big implications on the MCU, which I guess we shall learn about in The Avengers: Infinity War.