6 Cool Things About the New ‘Black Panther’ Trailer

Kim Taylor-Foster
Movies Marvel
Movies Marvel

Who saw this coming? The new Black Panther trailer is remarkable. It’s stuffed with so much exciting stuff, from astounding action and super-cool characters to sick gadgets and jaw-dropping futuristic vehicles. Well, Wakanda is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world.

Anyway, without further ado, here are five of the coolest things we spotted in the new trailer.

1. The Black Panther Suit

The Black Panther suit.

We see Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa as Black Panther in a cool sequence where he’s outrunning a car in hot pursuit. The vibranium in his suit seems to kick in, turning parts of it a glowing purple to very cool Tron-style effect. It gives him the ability to perform a spectacular flip to outmaneuver the car on his tail. He winds up on the bonnet, surfer style. Cool move, bro.

2. Killmonger’s ‘Golden Jaguar’ Suit

The Black Panther- Golden Jaguar
Killmonger suits up.

We get our first good look at what’s being called the Golden Jaguar suit – and it’s spectacular. Seemingly based on T’Challa’s Black Panther suit, it has the ability to be worn without being seen on the body until it’s required. And when militant foe Erik Killmonger requires it, he makes it known. Whipping out his two blades, his suit is activated and appears on his body as if by magic. It has gold accents on the mask, collar and hip area. We then see Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger face off against T’Challa, both besuited in their respective attire, in hand-to-hand combat alongside a speeding train.

3. Klaw

Black Panther
Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue.

Andy Serkis’s Ulysses Klaue pops up first of all strapped to a chair, caught in an explosion. Next, he’s seen as the trailer changes tone to focus on the villains of the piece – T’Challa’s countryman Erik Killmonger and Klaue, aka Klaw, himself. And boy, does he look mean – despite being dressed in hi-viz. Oh, and there’s that small matter of him hanging out of a car window dressed in a waistcoat, shirt, tie and smart trousers after issuing the command: “Let’s have some fun”. Before firing off a shot from his devastating wrist weapon.

4. Wakanda

Black Panther
The bustle of the city in Wakanda.

When the troop ship penetrates the cloaking device, it’s reminiscent of the reveal of Themyscira in Wonder Woman. But we love that even though the DCEU and MCU are entirely separate, there’s a certain amount of comic-book continuity here.

The ship flies through an invisible honeycomb-type shield that dissolves as the ship breaks through its perimeter. The landscape changes from verdant tree-covered clifftops to reveal a city hidden among the mountains. The city itself has a bustling, lived-in feel. There’s public transport – skyrail and a kind of rail-less tram — and there are street sellers peddling baskets and, presumably, other goods.

But the real beauty of it is its variety. There are purple skies, there’s a huge black panther built into the side of a mountain that doubles as an elaborate entrance, there are huge structures and grand landscapes, and there’s an all-pervading futuristic tribal feel.

5. The Troop Ship

Black Panther
The troop ship flies into Wakanda.

The troop ship piloted by leader of the Dora MilajeOkoye, as she flies into the homeland is a bit like a snowspeeder crossed with the Millennium Falcon. Although it does have a resemblance to the version from the comics too. It’s a flat, plate shape, and seems to be flown without the need to physically touch a control panel. It has fin-type protrusions at the side and rear. Okoye operates it with her arms outstretched. Although it seems to us that this could be a fast route to tired limbs…

6. Okoye

Danai Gurira as Okoye | Credit: Kwaku Alston / Marvel Studios 2018

Firstly, Danai Gurira’s Okoye looks amazing. That red and gold suit as she flies into Wakanda. Whew! But that’s not the only stunning costume she dons. What’s interesting to note here is that it looks like she’s wearing a set of Kimoyo Beads – a Wakandan portable device that acts a bit like a cell phone.

She reveals herself as something of an advisor to the king in the trailer, telling T’Challa: “Don’t freeze”. We then see her kicking butt later on, again dressed in red and gold but this time it’s a dress – and she’s wielding a staff, and knows how to use it.

Black Panther hits screens in the UK on February 12, 2018 and in the US on February 16, 2018.

Kim Taylor-Foster
Kim Taylor-Foster is Entertainment Editor for Fandom in the UK. She was raised on an unsteady diet of video nasties and violent action flicks.